Groupama Asset Managment Sells 16,925 Shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

Groupama Asset Managment lowered its position in Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 70.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,100 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 16,925 shares during the quarter. Groupama Asset Managment’s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $1,352,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Boston Partners lifted its stake in Darden Restaurants by 19.7% in the second 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 last quarter. Creative Planning increased its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 2.3% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 31,050 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $6,768,000 after buying an additional 690 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 9.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 56,276 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $12,267,000 after acquiring an additional 4,866 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 16.1% during the 2nd quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 12,327 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,687,000 after acquiring an additional 1,708 shares during the period. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 19.7% during the 2nd quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 23,352 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,090,000 after acquiring an additional 3,844 shares during the period. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Darden Restaurants Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of Darden Restaurants stock opened at $203.96 on Friday. 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 company has a market cap of $23.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.61. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $208.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $194.68.

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

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Darden Restaurants’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DRI has been the subject of several recent research reports. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $261.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Friday, March 13th. Raymond James Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $238.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Darden Restaurants has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $224.63.

Key Headlines Impacting Darden Restaurants

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results slightly beat expectations: adjusted EPS of $2.95 (vs. ~$2.94 consensus) and revenue of $3.35B (vs. ~$3.33B), with systemwide comps up ~4.2% and strength at LongHorn. This supports the view of steady operational momentum. Darden Restaurants Reports Fiscal 2026 Third Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its full‑year sales and adjusted EPS outlook (guidance implies roughly 9.5% topline growth including an extra fiscal week and adjusted EPS ~$10.57–$10.67), which underpins upside to estimates. Darden Restaurants raises annual sales forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Capital return and balance‑sheet actions remain supportive: quarterly dividend declared and ongoing buybacks cited by management; analysts and MarketBeat note strong cash flow and institutional accumulation. Darden Restaurants Has the Growth and Cash Flow to Hit New Highs
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings‑call transcript and slide deck provide detail on brand mix, unit growth (+31 net units) and the Bahama Breeze plan — useful for modeling but already partially priced in. Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP results were pressured by one‑time impairments and closures related to Bahama Breeze; caution that these one‑offs compress GAAP margins near term and create execution/termination costs. Earnings Report / Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/competitive and stock‑specific risks flagged by some commentators — including weather impacts, margin pressure and the view that DRI has lagged the Nasdaq — which could cap near‑term multiple expansion. Solid Q3, But Risks Are Building

Insider Transactions at Darden Restaurants

In other news, CFO Rajesh Vennam sold 6,774 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 9,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,935,644.80. This represents a 42.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Susan M. Connelly sold 2,635 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.36, for a total value of $546,393.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,098 shares of the company’s stock, 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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 18,770 shares of company stock valued at $3,948,970. Insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

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.