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

Groupama Asset Managment cut its holdings in Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 70.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. 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 SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Darden Restaurants during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Darden Restaurants Price Performance

Shares of DRI opened at $203.96 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $208.08 and a 200 day moving average of $194.68. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a twelve month low of $169.00 and a twelve month high of $228.27.

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

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Darden Restaurants’s payout ratio is currently 62.89%.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Todd Burrowes sold 7,103 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 44,252 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,165,474.24. This trade represents a 13.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Rajesh Vennam sold 6,774 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 9,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,935,644.80. This trade represents a 42.84% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 18,770 shares of company stock valued at $3,948,970. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Friday, December 19th. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Darden Restaurants from $234.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of Darden Restaurants in a 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Darden Restaurants has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $224.63.

Darden Restaurants 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.