Newport Trust Company LLC Sells 3,330 Shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

Newport Trust Company LLC reduced its stake in Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 0.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,860,895 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 3,330 shares during the period. Darden Restaurants accounts for 0.8% of Newport Trust Company LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Newport Trust Company LLC owned 1.60% of Darden Restaurants worth $354,240,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DRI. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 419.2% during the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 135 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new stake in Darden Restaurants during the 2nd quarter valued at $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.64% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Darden Restaurants

In other Darden Restaurants news, insider John W. Wilkerson sold 2,258 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.00, for a total transaction of $480,954.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 17,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,787,992. This represents a 11.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Rajesh Vennam sold 6,774 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.12, for a total value of $1,450,448.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 9,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,935,644.80. This represents a 42.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 18,770 shares of company stock valued at $3,948,970 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Darden Restaurants News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Darden Restaurants this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded DRI from Neutral to Outperform and raised its price target to $235 (from $195), citing Olive Garden strength and implying meaningful upside vs. the current price. Mizuho upgrades Darden Restaurants (DRI)
• Positive Sentiment: Melius Research moved its rating from Hold to Buy, adding to analyst bullishness that can support upward momentum in the stock. Melius Research upgrade (Finviz link)
• Positive Sentiment: Company fundamentals and shareholder returns remain supportive: FY2026 guidance was set at $10.50–$10.70 EPS and the firm announced a $1.50 quarterly dividend (annualized $6.00). Those items underpin earnings visibility and yield appeal for income-focused investors. MarketBeat Darden Restaurants coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Raymond James reiterated a Market Perform rating, signaling some analysts remain cautious and limiting consensus conviction despite upgrades. Raymond James Reiterates Market Perform for Darden
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation discussion: recent coverage (Yahoo Finance) highlights mixed share performance vs. fundamentals — investors are weighing the higher multiple against steady cash flow and brand strength. A Look At Darden Restaurants (DRI) Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Director John Wilkerson sold 2,258 shares at roughly $213, reducing his stake ~11%. While insider sales can be routine, they can pressure sentiment if they repeat. John Wilkerson insider sale
• Negative Sentiment: Another insider, Rajesh Vennam, sold 6,774 shares — additional insider exits add to short-term headwinds for sentiment. Rajesh Vennam Sells DRI Shares

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DRI has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Friday, December 19th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Darden Restaurants from $240.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 6th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $224.78.

Darden Restaurants Stock Performance

Shares of Darden Restaurants stock opened at $205.93 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $188.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $194.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 12 month low of $169.00 and a 12 month high of $228.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.64.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The restaurant operator reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 52.44%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.03 EPS. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be given a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Darden Restaurants’s payout ratio is currently 62.89%.

Darden Restaurants Company Profile

Darden Restaurants, Inc is a multi-brand, full-service restaurant company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company owns and operates a portfolio of casual and fine-dining concepts that together serve millions of guests through company-owned and franchised locations. Its well-known brands include Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, alongside other dining concepts that span Italian, American, steakhouse and upscale casual formats.

Darden’s restaurants provide a range of guest-facing services including dine-in, takeout, delivery and catering, and feature menus tailored to each brand’s positioning—Italian-American fare at Olive Garden, steaks and grilled items at LongHorn, and more premium steakhouse and chef-driven offerings at its upscale concepts.