Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI) president sells 8,864 shares after option exercise

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Darden Restaurants executive John W. Wilkerson, President, Olive Garden, reported an option exercise and share sales. On August 5, 2026, he exercised options for 6,364 shares of common stock at $124.2400 per share, then sold 2,500 and 6,364 shares at weighted average prices of $208.4141 and $208.2970. After these trades, he continued to hold 614.8433 shares indirectly through a 401k plan.

Insider Trade Summary

Exercise and sale activity reported; no spread calculated

Exercise and Sale 5 txns

Insider Wilkerson John W.

Role President, Olive Garden

Sold 8,864 shs ($1.85M)

Approx. gross sale proceeds $1.85M

Approx. exercise cost $791K

Type	Security	Shares	Price	Value
Exercise	Stock Option (Right to Buy) F4	6,364	$0.00	$0.00
Exercise	Common Stock F1	6,364	$124.24	$791K
Sale	Common Stock F2, F1	2,500	$208.4141	$521K
Sale	Common Stock F3, F1	6,364	$208.297	$1.33M
holding	Common Stock	--	--	--

Holdings After Transaction: Stock Option (Right to Buy) — 0 shares (Direct); Common Stock — 18,793.689 shares (Direct); Common Stock — 614.8433 shares (Indirect, By 401k)

Footnotes (4)

1. F1. Includes shares acquired pursuant to the Darden Restaurants, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan and dividend reinvestment feature of the Plan.
2. F2. This transaction was executed in multiple trades at prices ranging from $208.115 to $208.8689. 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. F3. This transaction was executed in multiple trades at prices ranging from $208.04 to $208.8888. 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. F4. This option vested in two equal annual installments beginning on July 24, 2022.

Key Figures

Options exercised: 6364.0000 shares First block of shares sold: 2500.0000 shares Second block of shares sold: 6364.0000 shares +3 more

6 metrics

Options exercised 6364.0000 shares Stock options for common stock exercised on 2026-08-05 at $124.2400 per share

First block of shares sold 2500.0000 shares Common stock sold at weighted average price $208.4141 on 2026-08-05

Second block of shares sold 6364.0000 shares Common stock sold at weighted average price $208.2970 on 2026-08-05

Total shares sold 8864 shares Aggregate common shares sold across reported sale transactions

Indirect holdings after transactions 614.8433 shares Common stock held indirectly by 401k after the August 5, 2026 transactions

Option expiration date 2029-07-24 Expiration date of the exercised stock option (right to buy)

Key Terms

Stock Option (Right to Buy), Employee Stock Purchase Plan, dividend reinvestment feature, weighted average sale price

4 terms

Stock Option (Right to Buy) financial

"security_title lists "Stock Option (Right to Buy)" for the derivative award"

Employee Stock Purchase Plan financial

"Footnote F1 mentions 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 feature financial

"Footnote F1 refers to the dividend reinvestment feature of the Plan"

weighted average sale price financial

"Footnotes F2 and F3 state the prices reflect the weighted average sale price"

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

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FAQ

What insider transactions did Darden Restaurants (DRI) executive John W. Wilkerson report?

On August 5, 2026, John W. Wilkerson exercised options for 6,364 Darden Restaurants (DRI) shares and sold 8,864 common shares. The sales were in blocks of 2,500 and 6,364 shares at weighted average prices of $208.4141 and $208.2970, based on multiple trades.

How many Darden Restaurants (DRI) shares did Wilkerson sell and at what prices?

Wilkerson sold a total of 8,864 Darden Restaurants shares: 2,500 shares at a weighted average price of $208.4141 and 6,364 shares at a weighted average price of $208.2970, each derived from multiple individual trades within disclosed price ranges.

What stock options did John W. Wilkerson exercise in this Darden Restaurants (DRI) report?

He exercised a stock option (right to buy) for 6,364 shares of Darden Restaurants common stock at an exercise price of $124.2400 per share. The option was scheduled to vest in two equal annual installments beginning on July 24, 2022, and had an expiration date of July 24, 2029.

How many Darden Restaurants (DRI) shares does Wilkerson hold after these transactions?

After the reported transactions, Wilkerson is shown holding 614.8433 Darden Restaurants shares indirectly through a 401k plan. This position is reported as indirect ownership, labeled “By 401k,” and reflects common stock held within that retirement account following the August 5, 2026 trades.

Were Wilkerson’s Darden Restaurants (DRI) share sales made under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan?

The Rule 10b5-1 checkbox for this Darden Restaurants insider report is not marked, and the footnotes do not reference any trading plan. The transactions are therefore reported without an accompanying statement that they were executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan.

What do the weighted average prices mean in Wilkerson’s Darden Restaurants (DRI) share sales?

The reported prices of $208.4141 and $208.2970 are weighted average sale prices across multiple trades. Footnotes explain individual trades occurred within ranges of $208.115–$208.8689 and $208.04–$208.8888, and detailed trade-by-trade information is available on request to relevant parties.

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^*

Wilkerson John W.

(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, Olive Garden

2a. Foreign Trading Symbol

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
08/05/2026

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	08/05/2026		M		6,364	A	$124.24	27,657.689(1)	D
Common Stock	08/05/2026		S		2,500	D	$208.4141(2)	25,157.689(1)	D
Common Stock	08/05/2026		S		6,364	D	$208.297(3)	18,793.689(1)	D
Common Stock								614.8433	I	By 401k

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	08/05/2026		M			6,364	(4)	07/24/2029	Common Stock	6,364	$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 $208.115 to $208.8689. 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 $208.04 to $208.8888. 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 vested in two equal annual installments beginning on July 24, 2022.

	A. Noni Holmes-Kidd, Attorney-in-fact for Wilkerson, John W.	08/06/2026
	** 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.
* Form 4: SEC 1474 (03-26)