Sarah H. King, who serves as Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer at Darden Restaurants Inc (NYSE: DRI), sold a total of 4,605 shares of common stock on January 22, 2026, a transaction disclosed in a Form 4 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The transactions were executed in two tranches and together produced proceeds of $951,636. The first tranche consisted of 200 shares sold at a weighted average price of $207.2806, with individual execution prices reported between $207.23 and $207.3311. The second tranche comprised 4,405 shares at a weighted average price of $206.6243, with execution prices ranging from $206.205 to $207.1852.
Following these sales, King directly holds 670.7710 shares, a total that accounts for shares obtained through the company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan and dividend reinvestments. InvestingPro data cited in the filing indicates Darden is trading near its Fair Value, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.48 and a financial health score characterized as "GOOD." The company has paid dividends for 32 consecutive years, and InvestingPro lists the current dividend yield at 2.91%.
Analyst activity around Darden and its casual-dining peers has been lively in the wake of Darden’s fiscal second-quarter report. Mizuho raised its price target on Darden to $195.00, citing constructive menu pricing trends and noting same-store sales growth at Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse. UBS maintained a Buy rating and a $230.00 price target, highlighting Darden’s quarterly sales of $3.102 billion, which exceeded analyst estimates despite slightly compressed margins. Stifel reiterated its Buy rating, pointing to potential upside driven by macroeconomic factors and the company’s delivery services. TD Cowen maintained a Hold rating while acknowledging strong sales performance and Darden’s updated sales guidance for fiscal 2026.
Separately, Brinker International received an upgrade from Raymond James, which moved the stock from Market Perform to Outperform and set a $195.00 price target. Raymond James indicated this change reflected expectations that Brinker will deliver quarterly results above market anticipations and subsequently raise its fiscal year guidance.
Together, the insider sale and the string of analyst updates illustrate an active period of reassessment by market participants across the restaurant sector. While Darden’s sales outpaced expectations in the quarter, commentary from brokers highlights both positive sales dynamics and the presence of margin pressure, and peer coverage changes add further focus to investor attention within the casual-dining segment.