Within the last quarter, Darden Restaurants DRI has observed the following analyst ratings:

24 analysts offering 12-month price targets in the last 3 months for Darden Restaurants evaluate the company at an average price target of $159.62 with a high of $175.00 and a low of $144.00.

This current average represents a 8.2% increase from the previous average price target of $147.52.

What Are Analyst Ratings?

Analysts work in banking and financial systems and typically specialize in reporting for stocks or defined sectors. Analysts may attend company conference calls and meetings, research company financial statements, and communicate with insiders to publish "analyst ratings" for stocks. Analysts typically rate each stock once per quarter.

Analysts can recommend "buy", "sell", "hold", or similar verbage for each stock based on that company's recent performance. "Buy" indicates that an analyst is optimistic about a stock's short-term or mid-term growth and is a recommendation to purchase the stock. On the other hand, "Sell" implies that an analyst forecasts a downwards trend for the stock. "Hold" suggests that investors should maintain their positions on that stock because of forecasted stagnation or lack of new information.

Some analysts also offer predictions for helpful metrics such as earnings, revenue, and growth estimates to provide further guidance as to what to do with certain tickers. It is important to keep in mind that while stock and sector analysts are specialists, they are also human and can only forecast their beliefs to traders.