Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) Earns "Equal Weight" Rating from Stephens

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "equal weight" rating restated by stock analysts at Stephens in a research report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $164.00 target price on the restaurant operator's stock. Stephens' price objective points to a potential upside of 4.50% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on DRI. BTIG Research boosted their target price on Darden Restaurants from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $188.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $179.25.

Darden Restaurants Price Performance

NYSE DRI traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $156.94. 986,869 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,240,127. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $157.09 and a 200-day moving average of $152.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Darden Restaurants has a one year low of $134.93 and a one year high of $176.84. The stock has a market cap of $18.73 billion, a PE ratio of 18.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.30.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 19th. The restaurant operator reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.83 by ($0.08). Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 49.46% and a net margin of 9.11%. The company had revenue of $2.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.78 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Darden Restaurants will post 9.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Melvin John Martin sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.30, for a total value of $489,900.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,601 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,057,743.30. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Melvin John Martin sold 3,000 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.30, for a total value of $489,900.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,601 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,057,743.30. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Sarah H. King sold 15,941 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.06, for a total value of $2,344,283.46. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 447 shares of the company's stock, valued at $65,735.82. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 77,706 shares of company stock valued at $12,813,038 in the last quarter. 0.85% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Darden Restaurants

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in Darden Restaurants by 206.5% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 49,082 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $8,204,000 after purchasing an additional 33,066 shares during the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 131.3% during the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 155 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants during the 4th quarter worth approximately $838,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S raised its stake in Darden Restaurants by 499.8% in the 1st quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 13,525 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $2,261,000 after acquiring an additional 11,270 shares during the period. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 136,364 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $21,158,000 after purchasing an additional 7,184 shares during the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Darden Restaurants

Darden Restaurants, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates full-service restaurants in the United States and Canada. It operates under Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, Yard House, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze, Eddie V's Prime Seafood, and Capital Burger brand names.