Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) Stock Price

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $238.00 to $236.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the restaurant operator's stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 28.22% from the company's current price.

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DRI has been the subject of a number of other reports. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $253.00 to $254.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Darden Restaurants from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $225.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, October 20th. Stephens lowered their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $239.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $223.93.

View Our Latest Research Report on Darden Restaurants

Darden Restaurants Stock Performance

• Sprouts, Darden Offer High-Upside Setups for Risk-Takers

Shares of DRI stock traded up $0.76 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $184.06. The company had a trading volume of 509,776 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,305,734. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.40. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $180.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $198.99. Darden Restaurants has a one year low of $159.67 and a one year high of $228.27. The firm has a market cap of $21.41 billion, a PE ratio of 19.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.66.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.01 by ($0.04). Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 52.35% and a net margin of 8.90%.The company had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.75 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Darden Restaurants will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

• Darden Restaurants: A Textbook Buy-the-Dip Opportunity

In other Darden Restaurants news, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.40, for a total value of $1,094,837.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 13,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,691,354.40. The trade was a 28.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Darden Restaurants in the second quarter worth $26,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Darden Restaurants during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 419.2% during the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 135 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Darden Restaurants during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Darden Restaurants during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.64% of the company's stock.

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.

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