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Martin Melvin John, the President of SRG at Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE:DRI), recently sold a significant portion of his holdings in the company. On March 25, he sold 5,091 shares of common stock at an average price of $208.6881 per share, resulting in a total sale value of approximately $1.06 million. The transaction comes as the $24.4 billion restaurant group trades near its 52-week high of $210.47, having delivered an impressive 26.5% return over the past six months. According to InvestingPro analysis, the company maintains a GOOD financial health rating.
In a related transaction on the same day, John also acquired 5,091 shares through the exercise of stock options at a price of $124.24 per share. This acquisition, valued at around $632,505, was part of a previously established stock option agreement.
Following these transactions, John holds 12,655.313 shares directly. The sale was executed in multiple trades, with prices ranging from $208.599 to $208.91 per share. The details of these transactions were disclosed in a Form 4 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Notably, 13 analysts have recently revised their earnings estimates upward for the upcoming period, suggesting positive sentiment about the company’s prospects. Get more detailed insights and access to over 10 additional key metrics with InvestingPro.
In other recent news, Darden Restaurants has seen a series of analyst upgrades and increased price targets following its latest earnings report. Darden reported third-quarter fiscal year 2025 earnings per share (EPS) that met expectations, with analysts noting strong restaurant-level margins despite a slight shortfall in same-store sales growth. UBS raised its price target to $225, maintaining a Buy rating, and highlighted the company’s resilient sales trends and strategic plans for fiscal year 2026. Stifel also increased its price target to $215, citing Darden’s solid 3% same-restaurant sales in the fourth fiscal quarter and the successful implementation of Uber (NYSE:UBER) Direct delivery at Olive Garden.
KeyBanc lifted its price target to $220, maintaining an Overweight rating due to Darden’s positive outlook and improved same-store sales trends. Guggenheim increased its target to $220, noting a revised fiscal year 2026 EPS estimate and Darden’s strong sales momentum. BofA Securities set the highest target at $238, emphasizing Darden’s ability to maintain growth despite industry-wide weather challenges and the promising results from Olive Garden’s partnership with Uber Direct. Analysts have adjusted their EPS estimates to reflect the benefits of a 53rd week and anticipated higher same-store sales growth. These developments indicate a positive sentiment among analysts regarding Darden’s future performance in the competitive restaurant industry.
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