What Does Darden Restaurants, Inc.'s (NYSE:DRI) Share Price Indicate?

Let's talk about the popular Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI). The company's shares received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the NYSE over the last few months, increasing to US$172 at one point, and dropping to the lows of US$151. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Darden Restaurants' current trading price of US$151 reflective of the actual value of the large-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at Darden Restaurants’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

See our latest analysis for Darden Restaurants

What's The Opportunity In Darden Restaurants?

The stock seems fairly valued at the moment according to my valuation model. It’s trading around 9.8% below my intrinsic value, which means if you buy Darden Restaurants today, you’d be paying a fair price for it. And if you believe that the stock is really worth $167.10, then there isn’t much room for the share price grow beyond what it’s currently trading. Is there another opportunity to buy low in the future? Since Darden Restaurants’s share price is quite volatile, we could potentially see it sink lower (or rise higher) in the future, giving us another chance to buy. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for how much the stock moves relative to the rest of the market.

Can we expect growth from Darden Restaurants?

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Although value investors would argue that it’s the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. With profit expected to grow by 30% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Darden Restaurants. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has already priced in DRI’s positive outlook, with shares trading around its fair value. However, there are also other important factors which we haven’t considered today, such as the track record of its management team. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at the stock? Will you have enough confidence to invest in the company should the price drop below its fair value?

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on DRI, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around its fair value. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for the company, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Darden Restaurants you should know about.

If you are no longer interested in Darden Restaurants, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.