Wedbush Forecasts Darden Restaurants' Q1 Earnings (NYSE:DRI)

Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Wedbush increased their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, March 21st. Wedbush analyst N. Setyan now expects that the restaurant operator will earn $2.07 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $2.03. Wedbush currently has a "Outperform" rating and a $235.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Darden Restaurants' current full-year earnings is $9.52 per share. Wedbush also issued estimates for Darden Restaurants' Q4 2026 earnings at $3.60 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $10.93 EPS.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Raymond James upped their price target on Darden Restaurants from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $175.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $200.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $202.08.

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Darden Restaurants Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE:DRI traded up $0.20 on Monday, reaching $207.37. 941,767 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,241,577. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company has a market capitalization of $24.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.75, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.27. Darden Restaurants has a 12 month low of $135.87 and a 12 month high of $210.47. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $193.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $177.77.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.80. The firm had revenue of $3.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.22 billion. Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 9.01% and a return on equity of 50.12%. The company's revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.60 EPS.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a $1.40 dividend. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. Darden Restaurants's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Douglas J. Milanes sold 7,892 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.95, for a total value of $1,546,437.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 3,914 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $766,948.30. This represents a 66.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ricardo Cardenas sold 20,518 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.19, for a total value of $4,271,642.42. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 58,836 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,249,066.84. The trade was a 25.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 66,216 shares of company stock valued at $12,808,372. Corporate insiders own 0.58% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Darden Restaurants

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Darden Restaurants during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 50.9% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 175 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HHM Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 103.2% in the fourth quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 254 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Darden Restaurants Company Profile

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.