Citigroup Issues Positive Forecast for Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) Stock Price

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) had its target price raised by Citigroup from $235.00 to $238.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Citigroup currently has a buy rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on DRI. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $207.00 target price (down from $240.00) on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $227.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Friday. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Friday, December 19th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Darden Restaurants presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $226.24.

Darden Restaurants Stock Performance

Shares of DRI stock opened at $202.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The stock has a market cap of $23.37 billion, a PE ratio of 21.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.61. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $208.09 and a 200-day moving average of $194.66. Darden Restaurants has a one year low of $169.00 and a one year high of $228.27.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 19th. The restaurant operator reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.94 by $0.01. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 53.54% and a net margin of 8.66%.The company had revenue of $3.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.80 EPS. Darden Restaurants’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Darden Restaurants will post 9.52 earnings per share 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 given a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Darden Restaurants’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.49%.

Insider Transactions at Darden Restaurants

In other news, insider John W. Wilkerson sold 2,258 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.00, for a total value 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 represents a 11.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Todd Burrowes sold 7,103 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.12, for a total value of $1,471,173.36. Following the transaction, the insider owned 44,252 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,165,474.24. This trade represents a 13.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,770 shares of company stock worth $3,948,970. Insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the second quarter worth $26,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 926.7% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 154 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Union Savings Bank bought a new position in Darden Restaurants during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. 93.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Darden Restaurants

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results and guidance lift — Darden reported $2.95 EPS (in line/just above consensus), revenue of $3.35B (+5.9% YoY) and raised its full‑year outlook for sales and adjusted EPS, citing strength at LongHorn and unit growth. Management’s guidance lift is the primary catalyst for optimism. PR Newswire: Q3 Results & Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lift targets and ratings — A wave of firms raised targets (Citigroup to $238, Deutsche Bank to $230, Barclays to $232, KeyCorp, BTIG, others), with several reaffirming Buy/Overweight ratings. That collective upward revision signals stronger Street momentum behind the stock. Benzinga: Analysts Increase Forecasts
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared & capital returns — Darden announced a quarterly dividend (covers April record / May pay date) and continues significant buybacks; MarketBeat highlights strong cash flow and share‑count reduction as supportive of future returns. That makes the stock more attractive to income and valuation‑focused investors. MarketBeat: Growth & Cash Flow
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call / transcripts available — Management held the Q3 call and released transcripts/slides (useful for digging into LFLs, unit‑economics, weather impacts and cadence of buybacks). Investors should review the call for color on margins and FY26 assumptions. MSN: Q3 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: One‑time charges and brand exit — Darden took impairments and other one‑offs tied to the Bahama Breeze review and planned closures/conversions; GAAP results look weaker as a result. These items compress near‑term margins and add uncertainty around restructuring costs. MarketBeat: One‑offs & Impairments
• Negative Sentiment: Risks flagged by some commentary — A few writeups note building risks (weather, commodity/labor pressure, and noise from restructuring) that could press margins even as revenue growth remains healthy. Seeking Alpha: Risks Building

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.