Darden Restaurants’ (DRI) Hold Rating Reiterated at TD Cowen

27 Sep 2026, 06:58 by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets Daily

TD Cowen reissued their hold rating on shares of Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI – Free Report) in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $215.00 price objective on the restaurant operator’s stock.

DRI has been the subject of a number of other reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Seaport Research Partners began coverage on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $240.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $236.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $245.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 11th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $232.38.

Read Our Latest Research Report on DRI

Darden Restaurants Price Performance

NYSE DRI opened at $199.42 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $22.75 billion, a PE ratio of 19.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.60. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $212.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $204.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.30. Darden Restaurants has a 52-week low of $169.00 and a 52-week high of $229.76.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 24th. The restaurant operator reported $2.05 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05. The company had revenue of $3.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.21 billion. Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.85% and a return on equity of 58.64%. Darden Restaurants’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.97 earnings per share. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.100-11.350 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Darden Restaurants will post 11.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. Darden Restaurants’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.43%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Ricardo Cardenas sold 39,134 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.06, for a total value of $8,181,354.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 86,146 shares in the company, valued at $18,009,682.76. This trade represents a 31.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Laura B. Williamson sold 443 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.89, for a total transaction of $90,766.27. Following the transaction, the insider owned 5,536 shares in the company, valued at $1,134,271.04. The trade was a 7.41% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 70,185 shares of company stock valued at $14,636,984. 0.67% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Darden Restaurants

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 881.2% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 47,136 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $9,710,000 after purchasing an additional 42,332 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 118.1% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 6,122 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,261,000 after purchasing an additional 3,315 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 34.9% during the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 26,408 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $5,440,000 after purchasing an additional 6,830 shares during the period. National Pension Service lifted its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 637.5% during the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 249,346 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $51,368,000 after purchasing an additional 215,537 shares during the period. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,355,000. 93.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Darden Restaurants News

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

Positive Sentiment: Fiscal 2027 first-quarter revenue rose 5.1% year over year to $3.20 billion, while blended same-restaurant sales increased 3.1%. LongHorn Steakhouse and Yard House were cited as stronger performers, and management said it continues to gain market share. Darden revenue rises but misses estimates in fiscal first quarter
Positive Sentiment: Darden reaffirmed fiscal 2027 adjusted EPS guidance of $11.10–$11.35 and maintained its broader full-year outlook. The company also highlighted plans for 13 new Yard House locations, supporting its longer-term growth strategy. Darden reaffirms fiscal 2027 guidance
Positive Sentiment: Darden declared a quarterly dividend of $1.62 per share, equal to $6.48 annually and an approximately 3.1% yield. Analysts at Mizuho, Bernstein, Guggenheim and BTIG remained constructive, with price targets generally above the current trading level.
Neutral Sentiment: Shareholders approved the board and maintained the company’s existing governance structure, removing a potential source of uncertainty. Darden shareholders back board and governance status quo
Negative Sentiment: Adjusted EPS of $2.05 was roughly in line with estimates but revenue narrowly missed forecasts of about $3.21 billion. Reported net income declined to approximately $233.4 million from $257.8 million a year earlier as higher food and labor expenses compressed profitability. Darden stock falls as Olive Garden reports slower growth
Negative Sentiment: Olive Garden, Darden’s largest brand, delivered only 1.1% same-store sales growth, raising concerns about slowing customer traffic and consumer sensitivity in casual dining. Analysts also described the stock as fairly valued, limiting the upside from an otherwise resilient quarter. Darden is winning share but stock is fairly priced

Darden Restaurants Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Darden Restaurants, Inc (NYSE: DRI) is a full-service restaurant company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. It operates and franchises a portfolio of dining brands serving a range of cuisines, price points and occasions, with restaurants primarily located in the United States and select international markets.

Its restaurant portfolio includes Olive Garden, an Italian-American dining chain; LongHorn Steakhouse; Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen; Yard House; The Capital Grille; Seasons 52; Bahama Breeze; Eddie V’s; Ruth’s Chris Steak House; and Chuy’s.