Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) Price Target Raised to $210.00

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) had its target price lifted by analysts at Robert W. Baird from $192.00 to $210.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 5.71% from the company’s previous close.

DRI has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $206.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Darden Restaurants from $218.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Darden Restaurants presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $196.84.

Darden Restaurants Stock Up 5.6 %

NYSE DRI opened at $198.66 on Friday. Darden Restaurants has a twelve month low of $135.87 and a twelve month high of $203.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market cap of $23.27 billion, a PE ratio of 22.76, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.27. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $191.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $176.31.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 20th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.80. The company had revenue of $3.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.22 billion. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 50.12% and a net margin of 9.01%. Darden Restaurants’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.60 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Darden Restaurants will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Darden Restaurants

In other Darden Restaurants news, SVP Douglas J. Milanes sold 7,892 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.95, for a total value of $1,546,437.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 3,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $766,948.30. This represents a 66.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 12,759 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.37, for a total value of $2,390,653.83. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 14,328 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,684,637.36. The trade was a 47.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 52,926 shares of company stock worth $9,850,129. Company insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Darden Restaurants

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in Darden Restaurants by 50.9% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 175 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HHM Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 103.2% during the 4th quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 254 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Darden Restaurants Company Profile

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.