Darden Restaurants grants equity to LongHorn president

Darden Restaurants executive Laura B. Williamson, President of LongHorn Steakhouse, received equity awards on July 29, 2026.

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Darden Restaurants executive Laura B. Williamson, President of LongHorn Steakhouse, received equity awards on July 29, 2026. Grants included 1,154 restricted stock units and stock options for 3,405 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $212.23 per share, plus additional RSUs and options held indirectly by her spouse.

The RSUs convert into common stock on a one-for-one basis, and the options vest in two equal annual installments beginning July 29, 2029, expiring July 29, 2036. Following these awards, she reports direct ownership of 11,864.405 common shares, with further indirect holdings through a 401(k) plan and her spouse, including shares acquired via an employee stock purchase plan and dividend reinvestment.

Insider Trade Summary

Grant/Award: 5,052 shares

Grant/Award 7 txns

Insider Williamson Laura B

Role President, LongHorn Steakhouse

Type	Security	Shares	Price	Value
Grant/Award	Restricted Stock Units (FY27 Annual Grant) F2	1,154	$0.00	$0.00
Grant/Award	Stock Option (Right to Buy) F3	3,405	$0.00	$0.00
Grant/Award	Restricted Stock Units (FY27 Annual Grant) F2	125	$0.00	$0.00
Grant/Award	Stock Option (Right to Buy) F3	368	$0.00	$0.00
holding	Common Stock F1	--	--	--
holding	Common Stock	--	--	--
holding	Common Stock F1	--	--	--

Holdings After Transaction: Restricted Stock Units (FY27 Annual Grant) — 1,154 contracts (Direct); Stock Option (Right to Buy) — 3,405 contracts (Direct); Restricted Stock Units (FY27 Annual Grant) — 125 contracts (Indirect, By Spouse); Stock Option (Right to Buy) — 368 contracts (Indirect, By Spouse); Common Stock — 11,864.405 shares (Direct); Common Stock — 936.419 shares (Indirect, By 401k); Common Stock — 5,978.801 shares (Indirect, By Spouse)

Footnotes (3)

1. F1. Includes shares acquired pursuant to the Darden Restaurants, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan and dividend reinvestment feature of the Plan.
2. F2. Restricted stock units convert into common stock on a one-for-one basis.
3. F3. This option vests in two equal annual installments beginning on July 29, 2029.

Key Figures

RSUs granted to officer: 1154.0000 units Stock options granted to officer: 3405.0000 shares Option exercise price: $212.2300 per share +5 more

8 metrics

RSUs granted to officer 1154.0000 units Restricted Stock Units granted July 29, 2026 to Laura B. Williamson

Stock options granted to officer 3405.0000 shares Stock Option (Right to Buy) granted July 29, 2026

Option exercise price $212.2300 per share Exercise price of stock options granted to Williamson and spouse

RSUs granted to spouse 125.0000 units Restricted Stock Units reported as held indirectly by spouse

Stock options granted to spouse 368.0000 shares Spouse-held Stock Option (Right to Buy) grant on July 29, 2026

Direct common stock holdings 11864.4050 shares Common stock directly owned by Laura B. Williamson after awards

401(k) indirect holdings 936.4190 shares Common stock held indirectly through a 401(k) plan

Spouse indirect holdings 5978.8010 shares Common stock held indirectly by spouse, including ESPP and reinvestment shares

Key Terms

Restricted Stock Units, Stock Option (Right to Buy), Employee Stock Purchase Plan, dividend reinvestment

4 terms

Restricted Stock Units financial

"Restricted stock units convert into common stock on a one-for-one basis."

Restricted stock units are a type of company reward where employees are promised shares of stock, but they only fully own these shares after meeting certain conditions, like staying with the company for a set time. They matter because they can become valuable assets and are often used to motivate employees to help the company succeed.

Stock Option (Right to Buy) financial

"Stock Option (Right to Buy) with an exercise price of $212.23 per share."

Employee Stock Purchase Plan financial

"Includes shares acquired pursuant to the Darden Restaurants, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan."

An employee stock purchase plan is a company program that lets workers buy shares through small payroll deductions, often at a discount to the market price and after a set offering period. Think of it like a workplace savings plan that turns into ownership: it encourages employees to share in the company’s success and can create predictable buying or selling of stock that investors watch because it affects supply, demand and employee incentives.

dividend reinvestment financial

"Includes shares from the dividend reinvestment feature of the Plan."

Dividend reinvestment is when the money earned from a company's profit sharing, called dividends, is automatically used to buy more shares of that company instead of being received as cash. This process helps investors grow their holdings over time without extra effort, much like using earned interest to buy more of a savings account. It encourages long-term investment growth by continuously increasing the amount of shares owned.

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What equity awards did Darden Restaurants (DRI) grant to Laura B. Williamson?

Laura B. Williamson received 1,154 restricted stock units and stock options for 3,405 shares of Darden common stock at an exercise price of $212.23 per share, along with additional spouse-held RSUs and options tied to the same underlying stock.

What is the exercise price and vesting schedule of the new DRI stock options?

The new stock options have an exercise price of $212.23 per share and expire on July 29, 2036. They vest in two equal annual installments beginning on July 29, 2029, meaning half the options vest each year over that two-year period.

How many Darden (DRI) shares does Laura B. Williamson own after these grants?

After these awards, Laura B. Williamson reports 11,864.405 Darden common shares held directly, plus 936.419 shares held indirectly through a 401(k) and 5,978.801 shares held indirectly by her spouse, including shares from an employee stock purchase and dividend reinvestment plan.

Were any equity awards granted to Laura B. Williamson's spouse in this DRI transaction?

Yes. Her spouse received 125 restricted stock units and stock options covering 368 shares of Darden common stock, both reported as indirect holdings. These spouse-held options have the same $212.23 exercise price and July 29, 2036 expiration as Williamson’s own option grant.

How do the restricted stock units in this DRI grant convert into common stock?

The restricted stock units convert into Darden common stock on a one-for-one basis. Each RSU becomes a single share of common stock upon conversion, meaning 1,154 RSUs would yield 1,154 shares, and 125 spouse-held RSUs would yield 125 shares when settled.

What plans contributed to Laura B. Williamson's reported Darden (DRI) share holdings?

Her reported holdings include shares acquired through the Darden Employee Stock Purchase Plan and its dividend reinvestment feature, as well as indirect ownership via a 401(k) plan and spouse-held accounts, all reflected in the post-transaction share totals disclosed.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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Available on EDGAR 07/30/2026 - 05:21 PM Accepted by SEC EDGAR 07/30/2026 - 05:20 PM Learn about SEC filing dates

SEC Form 4

FORM 4

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

OMB APPROVAL

OMB Number:			3235-0287
Estimated average burden
hours per response:			0.5

Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

Check this box to indicate that a transaction was made pursuant to a contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of equity securities of the issuer that is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c). See Instruction 10.

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person^*

Williamson Laura B

(Last) (First) (Middle)

1000 DARDEN CENTER DRIVE

(Street)

ORLANDO FLORIDA 32837

(City) (State) (Zip)

UNITED STATES

(Country)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC [ DRI ]

5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)

	Director		10% Owner
X	Officer (give title below)		Other (specify below)
	President, LongHorn Steakhouse

2a. Foreign Trading Symbol

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
07/29/2026

6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

X	Form filed by One Reporting Person
	Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

4. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed Of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)			5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4)	6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
			Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price
Common Stock								11,864.405(1)	D
Common Stock								936.419	I	By 401k
Common Stock								5,978.801(1)	I	By Spouse

Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)	2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)		6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		7. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 3 and 4)		8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)	9. Number of derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)	10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
				Code	V	(A)	(D)	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares
Restricted Stock Units (FY27 Annual Grant)	(2)	07/29/2026		A		1,154		07/29/2029	07/29/2029	Common Stock	1,154	$0.0000	1,154	D
Stock Option (Right to Buy)	$212.23	07/29/2026		A		3,405		(3)	07/29/2036	Common Stock	3,405	$0.0000	3,405	D
Restricted Stock Units (FY27 Annual Grant)	(2)	07/29/2026		A		125		07/29/2029	07/29/2029	Common Stock	125	$0.0000	125	I	By Spouse
Stock Option (Right to Buy)	$212.23	07/29/2026		A		368		(3)	07/29/2036	Common Stock	368	$0.0000	368	I	By Spouse

Explanation of Responses:

1. Includes shares acquired pursuant to the Darden Restaurants, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan and dividend reinvestment feature of the Plan.

2. Restricted stock units convert into common stock on a one-for-one basis.

3. This option vests in two equal annual installments beginning on July 29, 2029.

	A. Noni Holmes-Kidd, Attorney-in-fact for Wilkerson, John W.	07/30/2026
	** Signature of Reporting Person	Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4 (b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.
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* Form 4: SEC 1474 (03-26)