UBS Rates Darden Restaurants (DRI) buy, $240 Price Target

UBS analyst Dennis Geiger reiterates a buy rating on Darden Restaurants, setting a $240 price target while shares trade around $206.44, a 16.26% upside from the current price.

By EarningsIQ Research Desk · Published Jun 26, 2026, 3:01 PM EDT · Updated Jul 1, 2026, 8:01 AM EDT

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UBS rated Darden Restaurants, Inc. ($DRI) "buy" with a $240 price target on June 26, 2026.

Since the rating, $DRI is down 4.9% after 1 week, down 3.7% after 1 month and up 2.9% to date (from the $210.29 close on Jun 26, 2026).

DRI Darden Restaurants, Inc.

$216.35 +19.23% year to date

Daily close · Oct 16, 2026

Key Points

UBS analyst Dennis Geiger reiterated a buy rating on Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: DRI) on June 26, 2026, setting a $240 price target.
UBS's $240 price target implies 16.26% upside from Darden Restaurants, Inc.'s ($DRI) current $206.44 share price.
The restaurant operator shares change hands at $206.44, leaving room between the current price and Wall Street's mean target of $232.96.
Darden offers shareholders an annual dividend rate of $6.48 per share, translating to a 3.1% dividend yield.

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UBS Analyst Reaffirms Support for Darden Restaurants

UBS analyst Dennis Geiger reiterated a buy rating on Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: DRI) on June 26, 2026, pointing to a price target of $240.00. The updated view arrives as the restaurant operator trades near $206.44, giving investors a clear look at how Wall Street expectations stack up against current market prices. The gap between the share price and the $240 target highlights the room analysts see for the stock as it moves through the middle of the year.

Analyst rating track record

UBS vs. the S&P 500

YTD return +9.62% hypothetical

All-time return +26.01% S&P 500 +23.44%

vs. S&P 500 +2.57% ahead of the index

Hypothetical returns from UBS's disclosed trades, not real profit or advice. How we model this.

Where Darden Stock Trades Today

Shares changed hands at $206.44 on the session, sitting in a 52-week trading range that stretches from a low of $169.00 up to a high of $229.76. The company trades with a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of 20.24, reflecting its profitability over the past year. With a market capitalization hovering near $24.0 billion, the casual dining operator remains a prominent fixture in the consumer cyclical sector.

12-month forecast

$DRI price target

Darden Restaurants, Inc. daily closes and this analyst's $240 target. Not advice.

Wall Street Analyst Actions and Sentiment

Other major firms updated their views on the company heading into late September. On September 25, 2026, Citigroup maintained a buy rating while adjusting its target to $247.00 from $248.00. On the same day, Guggenheim kept its buy rating with a $235.00 target, and Mizuho maintained an outperform rating while raising its target to $245.00 from $235.00. Freedom Capital Markets kept a buy rating with a target raised to $260.00 from $255.00. BMO Capital kept a market perform rating with a target of $220.00, down from $225.00, while BTIG reiterated a buy rating with a $235.00 target. Stephens & Co. kept an equal-weight rating at $220.00, and TD Cowen reiterated a hold rating with a $215.00 target on September 24, 2026. Overall, the stock holds a consensus recommendation of buy and a mean price target of $232.96 derived from 26 analyst opinions.

Dividend Offerings for Shareholders

Income-focused investors receive an annual dividend rate of $6.48 per share, which translates to a dividend yield of 3.1%. That payout is backed by a dividend payout ratio of 0.5747, showing a balanced approach between returning cash to shareholders and retaining earnings for business growth.

Inside Darden Restaurants

Darden Restaurants, Inc. operates a large portfolio of full-service dining brands across the United States and Canada. Its household names include Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, and Ruth's Chris Steak House, among others. Founded in 1938 and based in Orlando, Florida, the company manages hundreds of corporate-owned locations that serve millions of guests every week.

What to Watch at Darden Restaurants, Inc.

Investors will look toward the company's next financial updates when the enterprise releases its next set of financial results on September 24, 2026. Market watchers will track whether traffic trends across its steakhouse and Italian restaurant chains support the current analyst price targets.