Darden RestaurantsDRI
DRI
About: Darden Restaurants is the largest restaurant operator in the us full-service space, with consolidated revenue of $11.4 billion in fiscal 2024 resulting in 3%-4% full-service market share (per NRA data and our calculations). The company maintains a portfolio of 10 restaurant brands: Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, Ruth's Chris, Yard House, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Eddie V's, Bahama Breeze, and The Capital Burger. Darden generates revenue almost exclusively from company-owned restaurants, though a small network of franchised restaurants and consumer-packaged goods sales through the traditional grocery channel contribute modestly. As of the end of its fiscal 2024, the company operated 2,031 restaurants in the us.
Employees: 187,384
0
Funds holding %
of 6,809 funds
0
Analysts bullish %
of 13 analysts
Fund manager confidence
Based on 2024 Q3 regulatory filings by fund managers ($100M+ AUM)
5.2% more ownership
Funds ownership: 97.44% [Q2] → 102.65% (+5.2%) [Q3]
4% more capital invested
Capital invested by funds: $17.6B [Q2] → $18.3B (+$700M) [Q3]
2% less funds holding
Funds holding: 887 [Q2] → 868 (-19) [Q3]
18% less first-time investments, than exits
New positions opened: 87 | Existing positions closed: 106
20% less repeat investments, than reductions
Existing positions increased: 273 | Existing positions reduced: 343
31% less call options, than puts
Call options by funds: $276M | Put options by funds: $401M
33% less funds holding in top 10
Funds holding in top 10: 3 [Q2] → 2 (-1) [Q3]
Research analyst outlook
13 Wall Street Analysts provided 1 year price targets over the past 3 months
Low target
$175
7%
downside
Avg. target
$199
6%
upside
High target
$220
17%
upside
13 analyst ratings
9 positive
69%
4 neutral
31%
0 negative
0%
B of A Securities Sara Senatore 37% 1-year accuracy 13 / 35 met price target | 12%upside $211 | Buy Maintained | 20 Dec 2024 |
BMO Capital Andrew Strelzik 38% 1-year accuracy 12 / 32 met price target | 7%downside $175 | Market Perform Maintained | 20 Dec 2024 |
Oppenheimer Brian Bittner 45% 1-year accuracy 17 / 38 met price target | 7%upside $200 | Outperform Reiterated | 20 Dec 2024 |
Stifel Chris O'Cull 68% 1-year accuracy 26 / 38 met price target | 9%upside $205 | Buy Maintained | 20 Dec 2024 |
Truist Securities Jake Bartlett 52% 1-year accuracy 36 / 69 met price target | 7%upside $200 | Buy Maintained | 20 Dec 2024 |
Financial journalist opinion
Based on 31 articles about DRI published over the past 30 days
Positive
Seeking Alpha
4 hours ago
Darden Restaurants: Improved Outlook, But Valuation Don't Look Cheap (Rating Upgrade To Hold)
I upgrade Darden Restaurants (DRI) from sell to hold, recognizing its ability to thrive in a tough promotional environment and maintain strong margins. DRI's recent performance, including a revenue beat and expanded margins, demonstrates resilience and potential for revenue growth despite intense competition. Olive Garden's positive SSSG, LongHorn's loyal customer base, and the promising Uber Eats partnership are key growth drivers for DRI.
Positive
Seeking Alpha
20 hours ago
Darden Restaurants: More Dollars On The Plate (Rating Upgrade)
Darden Restaurants reported a strong Q2, with a 15% stock surge driven by a $20M revenue beat and a $0.01 EPS beat. Key growth factors include the acquisition of 103 Chuy's restaurants and a 2.4% increase in same-restaurant sales, especially LongHorn Steakhouse's 10.4% YoY growth. Margins improved due to reduced food, beverage, and labor expenses, leading to a 70bps increase in restaurant-level EBITDA.
Positive
Benzinga
20 hours ago
Darden Restaurants' Diversified Portfolio And Uber Delivery Partnership Offer Confidence In Overcoming Fine Dining Challenges: Analysts
Darden Restaurants, Inc. DRI shares are trading relatively flat on Friday.
Neutral
Investopedia
1 day ago
S&P 500 Gains and Losses Today: Darden Restaurants Stock Sizzles After Sales Beat
Major U.S. equities indexes finished Thursday little changed after a sharp sell-off a day earlier.
Positive
Seeking Alpha
1 day ago
Darden Restaurants: What A Quarter
Darden Restaurants, Inc. has shown resilience with strong Q2 2025 results, surpassing revenue and earnings expectations, driving a justified rally in the stock. Comparable sales growth was led by LongHorn Steakhouse at 7.5%, while Olive Garden also performed well; fine dining saw a decline. DRI's strategic actions, including price adjustments and cost control, have been effective, supporting a positive outlook and continued stock holding.
Positive
Reuters
1 day ago
Olive Garden parent Darden Restaurants raises annual sales forecast
Darden Restaurants raised its annual sales forecast on Thursday, banking on higher menu prices and more people dining at its chains including LongHorn Steakhouse and Olive Garden in the holiday season, sending its shares up about 9% premarket.
Positive
PYMNTS
1 day ago
Darden Restaurant Sales Grow Despite Fine Dining Pullback
Darden Restaurants' sales climbed this quarter despite diners shying away from its fine-dining establishments. The company, owner of chains such as Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, released earnings Thursday (Dec. 19) that showed total sales increasing 6% to $2.9 billion.
Positive
Seeking Alpha
1 day ago
Darden Restaurants: Solid Q2 Results Reflected In Valuation (Downgrade)
Darden Restaurants, Inc.'s stock surged 14% after strong earnings, with shares up 28% since my last 'buy' rating, surpassing my $160 price target. Darden's revenue grew 6% to $2.9 billion, driven by same-restaurant sales, M&A, and margin recovery, with Olive Garden and LongHorn performing well. Updated guidance projects $12.1 billion in sales and $9.45-$9.65 EPS, and the stock is supported by a solid balance sheet, share repurchases, and a secure 3.5% dividend yield.
Positive
The Motley Fool
1 day ago
Darden Restaurants Cooked Up an 18% Gain With Sizzling 2025 Guidance
Shares of Darden Restaurants (DRI 15.16%) soared to a new all-time high on Thursday morning following the release of robust second-quarter results. The restaurant operator's stock peaked at an overnight gain of 18.1% before backing down to a 15.5% uptick at 1:30 p.m.
Neutral
Seeking Alpha
1 day ago
Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI ) Q2 2025 Earnings Conference Call December 19, 2024 8:30 AM ET Company Participants Phil McClain - Vice President, Finance and Investor Relations Rick Cardenas - President and Chief Executive Officer Raj Vennam - Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Conference Call Participants David Palmer - Evercore ISI Eric Gonzalez - KeyBanc Capital Markets Jim Salera - Stephens Peter Saleh - BTIG Jeffrey Bernstein - Barclays Sara Senatore - Bank of America Andrew Charles - TD Cowen Andrew Strelzick - BMO Capital Markets Brian Harbour - Morgan Stanley Lauren Silberman - Deutsche Bank Jon Tower - Citi Dennis Geiger - UBS Gregory Francfort - Guggenheim Danilo Gargiulo - Bernstein David Tarantino - Baird Rahul Krotthapalli - JPMorgan Jake Bartlett - Truist Securities Operator Greetings, and welcome to the Darden Restaurants, Inc. Q2 Fiscal Year 2025 Earnings Conference Call and Webcast. At this time, all participants are in a listen only mode.
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