Wells Fargo & Company Boosts Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) Price Target to $210.00

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) had its target price raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $200.00 to $210.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 1.33% from the company’s previous close.

DRI has been the topic of a number of other reports. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $208.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $207.00 price target (down from $240.00) on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Guggenheim decreased their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $235.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Raymond James Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $227.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Darden Restaurants has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $225.67.

Darden Restaurants Price Performance

Darden Restaurants stock traded up $2.83 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $207.25. 312,242 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,488,499. Darden Restaurants has a 52-week low of $169.00 and a 52-week high of $228.27. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $208.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $194.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.39. The company has a market cap of $23.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.80, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.61.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 19th. The restaurant operator reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.94 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.33 billion. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 52.44% and a net margin of 8.92%.The company’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.80 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Darden Restaurants will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Darden Restaurants

In related news, insider John W. Wilkerson sold 2,258 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.00, for a total transaction of $480,954.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 17,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,787,992. This trade represents a 11.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Susan M. Connelly sold 2,635 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.36, for a total transaction of $546,393.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $849,761.28. The trade was a 39.14% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 18,770 shares of company stock worth $3,948,970 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Darden Restaurants

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Boston Partners increased its stake in Darden Restaurants by 19.7% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 780,978 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $170,203,000 after purchasing an additional 128,468 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 9.5% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 56,276 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $12,267,000 after purchasing an additional 4,866 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 16.1% in the second quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 12,327 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,687,000 after buying an additional 1,708 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 19.7% in the second quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 23,352 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $5,090,000 after buying an additional 3,844 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,055,185 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,063,609,000 after buying an additional 284,814 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.64% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Darden Restaurants

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results and outlook lift: Darden reported FQ3 results with EPS roughly in line with expectations, revenue up ~5.9% YoY, and management raised its full‑year sales and earnings outlook—citing resilient comps and LongHorn strength. This is a primary driver for investor optimism. PR Newswire: Q3 Results & Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness: Multiple firms raised targets and/or reiterated positive ratings after the print — KeyCorp to $226 (overweight), BTIG reaffirmed buy at $225, Robert W. Baird lifted to $215, and Stephens adjusted to $210 — supporting near‑term upside. Benzinga: Analysts Increase Forecasts
• Positive Sentiment: Capital returns: Darden declared a $1.50 quarterly dividend (yield ~2.9%) and continues share‑repurchase activity — supporting shareholder return narrative and attracting dividend/cash‑flow investors. PR Newswire: Dividend & Capital Return
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat / institutional view: Commentary highlights durable cash flow, aggressive buybacks, and heavy institutional accumulation — factors that provide support and an analyst consensus tilted toward further upside. MarketBeat: Darden Has the Growth and Cash Flow to Hit New Highs
• Neutral Sentiment: Detailed disclosures and materials: Earnings call transcript and slide deck are available for deeper diligence (useful for investors reviewing guidance, comps, and unit economics). Seeking Alpha: Q3 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: One‑offs and brand impairment risk: Management flagged impairments/one‑time costs tied to Bahama Breeze and noted a ~100 bps hit from Winter Storm Fern; these items weighed on GAAP results and add near‑term noise/risk. Some commentaries warn of building risks despite the solid quarter. Seeking Alpha: Solid Q3, But Risks Are Building

About Darden Restaurants

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.