<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 5,391,787 shares,  an increase of 45.2% from the December 15th total of 3,713,922 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,068,266 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days. Currently, 4.7% of the shares of the company are sold short. Currently, 4.7% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,068,266 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days.</p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>Darden Restaurants</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><h2>Darden Restaurants Stock Up 0.3%</h2><ul><li>MarketBeat Week in Review – 12/22 - 12/26</li></ul><p>Shares of DRI opened at $214.96 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The business has a fifty day moving average of $185.35 and a 200 day moving average of $194.74. The company has a market cap of $24.75 billion, a PE ratio of 22.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.64. Darden Restaurants has a 52-week low of $169.00 and a 52-week high of $228.27. </p><p>Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The restaurant operator reported $2.08 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.03 EPS. The company's 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.  On average, sell-side analysts expect that  Darden Restaurants will post 9.52 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement</h2><ul><li>Darden Restaurants, Inc.: This is What a Strong Signal Looks Like</li></ul><p>The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Darden Restaurants's dividend payout ratio  is currently 62.89%. </p><h2>Analyst Ratings Changes</h2><p>A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stephens  restated an &#34;equal weight&#34; rating and set a $205.00 price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Friday, December 19th. UBS Group  restated a &#34;buy&#34; rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Friday, December 19th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a &#34;hold&#34; rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 15th. Guggenheim lowered their target price on Darden Restaurants from $235.00 to $230.00 and set a &#34;buy&#34; rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. reduced their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $240.00 to $230.00 and set an &#34;overweight&#34; rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued  a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company  has an average rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and a consensus target price of $223.00.</p><ul><li>Higher Beef Prices Are Here: Best Steakhouse Stocks for 2026</li></ul><p><b>Read Our Latest Stock Report on Darden Restaurants</b></p><h2>Insider Buying and Selling at Darden Restaurants</h2><p>In other news, insider Todd Burrowes sold 7,103 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.12, for a total transaction of $1,471,173.36. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 44,252 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,165,474.24. The trade was a 13.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Susan M. Connelly sold 2,635 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.36, for a total transaction of $546,393.60. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 4,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at $849,761.28. This represents a 39.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. </p><h2>Hedge Funds Weigh In On Darden Restaurants</h2><p>Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DRI. JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. boosted its stake in shares of  Darden Restaurants by 78.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. now owns 2,666,919 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $507,675,000 after purchasing an additional 1,171,890 shares during the period.  Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in  Darden Restaurants by 32.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,463,786 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $849,726,000 after buying an additional 1,102,211 shares during the period.  Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in  Darden Restaurants by 820.4% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 706,416 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $153,977,000 after buying an additional 629,669 shares during the period.  Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in  Darden Restaurants by 45.2% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,917,398 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $417,935,000 after acquiring an additional 596,863 shares in the last quarter.  Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of  Darden Restaurants by 192.6% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 880,765 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $191,980,000 after acquiring an additional 579,759 shares during the period. Institutional investors own  93.64% of the company's stock. </p><h2>About Darden Restaurants</h2> (Get Free Report)<p>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.  </p><p>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.</p><h2>Featured Articles</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Darden Restaurants</li><li>Elon Taking SpaceX Public! $100 Pre-IPO Opportunity!</li><li>How a Family Trust May Be Able To Help Preserve Your Wealth</li><li>A U.S. “birthright” claim worth trillions - activated quietly</li><li>Executive Order 14330: Trump’s Biggest Yet</li><li>“Fed Proof” Your Bank Account with THESE 4 Simple Steps</li></ul><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Darden Restaurants Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Darden Restaurants, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Darden Restaurants wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Darden Restaurants currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) experienced a significant increase in short interest, rising 45.2% to 5,391,787 shares by December 31. This represents 4.7% of the company's shares sold short, with a days-to-cover ratio of 2.6 days based on an average daily trading volume of 2,068,266 shares. The company reported earnings of $2.08 per share, slightly below estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.50 per share, with a yield of 2.8%. Analysts maintain a "Moderate Buy" rating with a consensus target price of $223.00.</p>

Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest