[Form 4] DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC Insider Trading Activity

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Darden Restaurants SVP and CFO Rajesh Vennam reported option exercises and stock sales. On 01/15/2026, he exercised a stock option for 3,182 shares of common stock at $124.24 per share and received 3,182 shares. That same day, he sold 3,182 shares of common stock at a weighted average price of $214.1162 per share in trades executed between $213.79 and $214.3704, and sold an additional 3,592 shares at a weighted average price of $214.115 per share in trades between $213.79 and $214.40. After these transactions, he directly owned 9,040.083 shares of Darden Restaurants common stock, which includes shares acquired through the company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan and its dividend reinvestment feature.

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

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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^*

Vennam Rajesh

(Last) (First) (Middle)

1000 DARDEN CENTER DRIVE

(Street)

ORLANDO FL 32837

(City) (State) (Zip)

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)
	SVP, CFO

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
01/15/2026

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

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

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

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	01/15/2026		M		3,182	A	$124.24	15,814.083(1)	D
Common Stock	01/15/2026		S		3,182	D	$214.1162(2)	12,632.083(1)	D
Common Stock	01/15/2026		S		3,592	D	$214.115(3)	9,040.083(1)	D

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
Stock Option (Right to Buy)	$124.24	01/15/2026		M			3,182	(4)	07/24/2029	Common Stock	3,182	$0.0000	0.0000	D

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. This transaction was executed in multiple trades at prices ranging from $213.79 to $214.3704. The price reported above reflects the weighted average sale price. The reporting person hereby undertakes to provide upon request to the SEC staff, the Issuer or a security holder of the Issuer full information regarding the number of shares and prices at which the transaction was effected.

3. This transaction was executed in multiple trades at prices ranging from $213.79 to $214.40. The price reported above reflects the weighted average sale price. The reporting person hereby undertakes to provide upon request to the SEC staff, the Issuer or a security holder of the Issuer full information regarding the number of shares and prices at which the transaction was effected.

4. This option vests in two equal annual installments beginning on July 24, 2022.

	A. Noni Holmes-Kidd, Attorney-in-fact for Vennam, Rajesh	01/16/2026
	** 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.
Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number.

FAQ

Who is the insider in Darden Restaurants (DRI) latest Form 4 filing?

The insider is Rajesh Vennam, who serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Darden Restaurants, Inc.

What stock option transaction did Darden CFO Rajesh Vennam report?

On 01/15/2026, he exercised a stock option (right to buy) for 3,182 shares of Darden Restaurants common stock at an exercise price of $124.24 per share, resulting in the issuance of 3,182 shares and leaving no options remaining from that grant.

How many Darden Restaurants (DRI) shares did the CFO sell on 01/15/2026?

On 01/15/2026, he sold 3,182 shares of common stock at a weighted average price of $214.1162 per share and an additional 3,592 shares at a weighted average price of $214.115 per share.

What price ranges were involved in the Darden CFO’s stock sales?

The 3,182-share sale was executed in multiple trades at prices from $213.79 to $214.3704. The 3,592-share sale was executed in multiple trades at prices from $213.79 to $214.40, with weighted average prices reported for each transaction.

How many Darden Restaurants shares does the CFO own after these Form 4 transactions?

Following the reported transactions on 01/15/2026, Rajesh Vennam directly owned 9,040.083 shares of Darden Restaurants common stock.

Do the Darden CFO’s reported holdings include shares from an employee stock purchase plan?

Yes. The reported holdings include shares acquired under the Darden Restaurants, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan and through the plan’s dividend reinvestment feature, as noted in the footnotes.

When does the Darden CFO’s exercised stock option originally vest and expire?

The exercised stock option vested in two equal annual installments beginning on July 24, 2022, and carried an expiration date of 07/24/2029 before being fully exercised for 3,182 shares.