Robert W. Baird Issues Positive Forecast for Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) Stock Price

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by Robert W. Baird from $192.00 to $210.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the restaurant operator's stock. Robert W. Baird's target price indicates a potential upside of 0.52% from the company's previous close.

A number of other analysts have also commented on DRI. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Darden Restaurants from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America upped their target price on Darden Restaurants from $195.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Thursday, December 5th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $183.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $193.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, December 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $202.08.

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Darden Restaurants Trading Up 4.5 %

DRI traded up $8.98 during trading on Friday, hitting $208.91. The company's stock had a trading volume of 991,939 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,227,342. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.93, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.27. Darden Restaurants has a twelve month low of $135.87 and a twelve month high of $210.47. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $192.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $176.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.80. The company 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%. Darden Restaurants's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.60 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Darden Restaurants will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Darden Restaurants

In other Darden Restaurants news, SVP Susan M. Connelly sold 9,264 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.68, for a total value of $1,710,875.52. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,567 shares in the company, valued at $843,433.56. The trade was a 66.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Todd Burrowes sold 15,783 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.03, for a total value of $2,888,762.49. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 46,288 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,472,092.64. The trade was a 25.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 45,698 shares of company stock worth $8,536,729. Insiders own 0.58% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Darden Restaurants in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised 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 buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HHM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Darden Restaurants by 103.2% during 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 in the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.