Rep. Rick Larsen Purchases Shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI)

Representative Rick Larsen (D-Washington) recently bought shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI). In a filing disclosed on January 14th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Darden Restaurants stock on January 7th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “RICHARD R LARSEN IRA” account.

Representative Rick Larsen also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) on 1/7/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) on 1/7/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) on 1/7/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS) on 1/7/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Waste Management (NYSE:WM) on 1/7/2026.

Darden Restaurants Trading Up 3.2%

DRI stock opened at $214.57 on Friday. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $169.00 and a fifty-two week high of $228.27. The firm has a market cap of $24.71 billion, a PE ratio of 22.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $184.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $194.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.39.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The restaurant operator reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.10 by ($0.02). Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 52.44%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.03 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 9th. Darden Restaurants’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.89%.

Institutional Trading of Darden Restaurants

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DRI. Midwest Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,441,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Darden Restaurants by 12.7% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 42,550 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $9,275,000 after purchasing an additional 4,804 shares in the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR grew its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 74.5% in the third quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 17,195 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,273,000 after purchasing an additional 7,342 shares during the period. SteelPeak Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,816,000. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 19.7% in the second quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 23,352 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,090,000 after buying an additional 3,844 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.64% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Todd Burrowes sold 7,103 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.12, for a total value of $1,471,173.36. Following the sale, the insider owned 44,252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,165,474.24. This trade represents a 13.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.49% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on DRI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Darden Restaurants from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $239.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Darden Restaurants currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $223.00.

About Representative Larsen

Rick Larsen (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Washington’s 2nd Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2001. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Larsen (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Washington’s 2nd Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Since at least 2011, Larsen has been assigned to the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Larsen’s first position as an elected official was in 1998 as a member of the Snohomish County Council.

Larsen earned his bachelor’s degree from Pacific Lutheran University. After earning his master’s degree in public affairs from the University of Minnesota, Larsen worked as the director of public affairs for the Washington State Dental Association and then as an economic development official with the Port of Everett. He went on to serve on the Snohomish County Council before seeking election to the U.S. House.

Darden Restaurants Company 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.