Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI): Is This Restaurant Stock a Good Buy Today?

We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Restaurant Stocks to Buy Today. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) stands against the other restaurant stocks.

Currently, quite a bit of anxiety is struck by restaurant stocks in the market, as the Russell index that tracks restaurants experienced a 6% fall since March 2024. Other sectors, like industrials, and materials, to name a few, are experiencing a similar struggle as restaurants. This situation, as a whole, is indicative of potential late-cycle market issues marked by the market’s slow growth in general, which is driven by consumer distress in the U.S. in a larger sense.

Moreover, amidst this inflation-stricken market, restaurants in the U.S. are in quite a bit of a meal deal war, hoping to fulfill the customers’ need for affordability. As such, Sonic, a drive-in fast-food chain headquartered in Oklahoma, U.S., is the newest member to join the war, as it has introduced a $1.99 value menu, boasting a selection of various food items.

Previously, Taco Bell and Burger King have already introduced their discounted meal deals, showcasing various brands’ dire attempts to attract customers in the given circumstances. Moreover, this is also driven by increased food and wage costs in the market, pushing down the margins of various restaurant brands, according to analysts. The Consumer Price Index has risen at a cumulative rate of 20.8% since February 2020, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Thus, this explains why restaurant ETFs and stocks have started off the third quarter on a lower note.

Nevertheless, there’s bright hope as the global fast food, which goes hand-in-hand with the restaurant industry, is set to grow at a CAGR of 3.7% from 2023 to 2032, expected to reach $1 trillion by then. Furthermore, one can keep their hopes high, as it is reported that a staggering 37% of the U.S. population is a consumer of fast food. For the fast-food market, the millennial segment is one that it must rely on the most, as 54% of this segment steps toward fast-food chains once or twice every week. You can check out our article about the 20 Fast Food Chains with Most Locations in the World.

On the other hand, according to the National Restaurant Association, the U.S. restaurant industry is forecasted to result in $1.1 trillion worth of sales in the year 2024. This will translate into the employment of 15.7 million Americans. However, amidst the supply chain inefficiencies and rising costs, it would be challenging for restaurant operators to make profits, and technology is expected to play a decisive role in determining the winners and losers of the market in the coming time, according to market analysts.

Thus, it’s essential to know where to put your money, when it comes to the restaurant market. Hence, now we will take you to our list of 10 Best Restaurant Stocks to Buy Today.

Methodology

To curate our list of 10 Best Restaurant Stocks to Buy Today, we gathered a list of all companies with a significant presence in the restaurant industry. We then further narrowed down the list based on the companies’ respective upside potential and ranked the finest remaining companies by their number of hedge fund holders as of Q1, 2024, using Insider Monkey’s database that tracks the activity of 920 hedge funds. For stocks with an equal number of hedge fund holders, we used their upside as the tiebreaker. Plus, note that all the stock prices quoted are as of writing this article unless otherwise stated.

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

A single diner enjoying an elegant meal in a sophisticated restaurant setting.

Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 32

Having its outlets in more than 1800 locations, and serving customers through its various brands like Olive Garden, Yard House, and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, to name a few, Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) is a full-service dining restaurant, headquartered in Florida, U.S.

Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) saw its sales soar in the last quarter of 2023 on the back of the commendable performance of each of its four segments. The aggregate sales figure of the company rose 6.8% to $2.96 billion, primarily, on the back of a 55.91% increase in sales from its dining segment, as compared to the quarter, a year ago.

Furthermore, the analysts had given an estimate of $2.6 earnings per share (EPS), whereas the company recorded an EPS of $2.65 for the quarter. Resultantly, the company was able to declare a quarterly cash dividend of $1.4 per share, which was an increase of 6.9%, as compared to the previous quarter.

The company was also able to add 80 new company-owned outlets of Ruth's Chris Steak House, along with 37 other new restaurants in the quarter, which also explains the rise in profitability and sales in the quarter.

Thus, the analysts, understandably, see the stock reaching $173.92 from its current price of $145.42, which would be an upside potential of a sweet 20%! With 32 hedge fund holdings in the bag already as well, the stock finds its rightful place in our list of 10 Best Restaurant Stocks to Buy Today.

We have to note that DRI shares were already trading above $175 just 3 months ago. DRI "is the best bellwether for full-service restaurant stocks in the space that we cover" Guggenheim's Gergory Francfort said last month. DRI shares currently trade at a forward P/E of 15. Obviously if this price war escalates further or the economy rolls into a recession, we will probably buy DRI shares at much lower levels.

Overall DRI ranks 9th on our list of the best restaurant stocks to buy. You can visit 10 Best Restaurant Stocks to Buy Today to see the other restaurant stocks that are on hedge funds’ radar. While we acknowledge the potential of DRI as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than DRI  but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

 

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.