DRI insider ownership: who sold, why, and what they still hold

Who	Shares	Price	% of total stake	Total stake after	Trade date	Filed
Melvin Martin Group President	2,209	$202.61	9.4%	21K	Oct 6, 2026	Oct 8, 2026

Who	Shares	Price	% of total stake	Total stake after	Trade date	Filed
John Madonna SVP, Corporate Controller	75	n/a	0.7%	11K	Sep 29, 2026	Sep 29, 2026

Who	Shares	Price	% of total stake	Total stake after	Trade date	Filed
John Madonna SVP, Corporate Controller	510	n/a	4.5%	11K	Sep 28, 2026	Sep 29, 2026

What stands out

Seven officers sold $22.1M with no disclosed plan: Ricardo Cardenas ($8.2M), Rajesh Vennam ($3.2M) and Susan Connelly ($3.1M), plus 4 more. The filings don't state a reason.Ricardo Cardenas: largest such sale, Jul 28, 2026 · Rajesh Vennam: largest such sale, Jul 29, 2026 · Susan Connelly: largest such sale, Jul 7, 2026

Laura Williamson sold 1.6K shares (9.2% of starting holdings), but 2.3K more vested, so the stake grew (from 17K to 17K).Largest sale, Jul 31, 2026

Selling rose in the last 90 days but the year remains well below the 5-year average: officers and directors sold 67K shares, against an average of 17K per 90 days earlier in the period. Most of it was Ricardo Cardenas (39K shares in the last 90 days) and John Wilkerson (8.9K shares in the last 90 days); 0% of these sales were under disclosed plans.Ricardo Cardenas: largest recent sale, Jul 28, 2026 · John Wilkerson: largest recent sale, Aug 5, 2026

Percentages cover 13 of 21 officers and directors. 8 are left out

Left out: Ricardo Cardenas, John Wilkerson, Melvin Martin, Rajesh Vennam, Susan Connelly, Sarah King, Douglas Milanes and Lindsay Koren (most of their shares vested during the period, so a percentage would mislead).

Disclosed company stock is not an insider's whole wealth.

Who sold, and how much of their stake

Officers and directors, past 12 months. Each bar is 100% of that person's own stake; not comparable between people. The stake is the vested shares held at the start of the period (Oct 9, 2025); the gold part is what they sold.

Ricardo Cardenas

President and CEO, Director

Sold $8.2M (plan status beside the amount). That is 31% of the shares held or received (after tax withholding) during the period†. A share of the starting stake is not shown: most of these shares arrived during the period. Why

$8.2MNo plan disclosed

Rajesh Vennam

SVP, CFO

Sold $3.2M (plan status beside the amount). That is 63% of the shares held or received (after tax withholding) during the period†. A share of the starting stake is not shown: most of these shares arrived during the period. Why

$3.2MNo plan disclosed

Susan Connelly

SVP, Chief Comm & PA Officer

Sold $3.1M (plan status beside the amount). That is 76% of the shares held or received (after tax withholding) during the period†. A share of the starting stake is not shown: most of these shares arrived during the period. Why

$3.1MNo plan disclosed

John Wilkerson

President, Olive Garden

Sold $2.3M (plan status beside the amount). That is 36% of the shares held or received (after tax withholding) during the period†. A share of the starting stake is not shown: most of these shares arrived during the period. Why

$2.3MNo plan disclosed

Melvin Martin

Group President

Sold $2.0M (plan status beside the amount). That is 32% of the shares held or received (after tax withholding) during the period†. A share of the starting stake is not shown: most of these shares arrived during the period. Why

$2.0MNo plan disclosed

All 12 sellers

Selling by month

Officers and directors, Oct 2025 to Oct 2026. Each sale is counted once: under a disclosed plan, else to cover taxes, else no plan disclosed.

No plan disclosedOne dollar scale for every month; the tallest bar is labeled

Common questions

Is the Darden Restaurants CEO selling stock?

Yes. Ricardo Cardenas sold 39K shares ($8.2M) in the past 12 months, none of it under a trading plan disclosed in the filings.

Why are Darden Restaurants insiders selling?

Filings rarely give a reason, and we don't guess at one. What they show is how the sales were made: 0% of sales by value ran under 10b5-1 trading plans disclosed in the filings and 100% had no disclosed plan. A trading plan schedules sales in advance.

Are any Darden Restaurants insiders buying?

No. Officers and directors reported no purchases in the past 12 months.

How much of their stake did Darden Restaurants insiders sell?

About 6.1% overall. As a group they still hold 99% of their starting shares. That covers the 12 months to Oct 9, 2026 and counts vested shares reported on SEC Forms 3, 4 and 5, which is not an insider's whole wealth.

The evidence

Who sold12 officers and directors: amount, % of holdings, trading plan

Who sold	Amount	% of holdings	Trading plan
Ricardo Cardenas President and CEO, Director	$8.2M 39K shares	31%† i † Most of the shares Ricardo Cardenas sold arrived during the period, so this is shares sold as a share of the 81K held at the start plus the 63K received, less 17K withheld by the company for taxes.	No plan disclosed
Rajesh Vennam SVP, CFO	$3.2M 15K shares	63%† i † Most of the shares Rajesh Vennam sold arrived during the period, so this is shares sold as a share of the 13K held at the start plus the 16K received, less 5.2K withheld by the company for taxes.	No plan disclosed
Susan Connelly SVP, Chief Comm & PA Officer	$3.1M 15K shares	76%† i † Most of the shares Susan Connelly sold arrived during the period, so this is shares sold as a share of the 7.3K held at the start plus the 14K received, less 1.4K withheld by the company for taxes.	No plan disclosed
John Wilkerson President, Olive Garden	$2.3M 11K shares	36%† i † Most of the shares John Wilkerson sold arrived during the period, so this is shares sold as a share of the 21K held at the start plus the 12K received, less 2K withheld by the company for taxes.	No plan disclosed
Melvin Martin Group President	$2.0M 10K shares	32%† i † Most of the shares Melvin Martin sold arrived during the period, so this is shares sold as a share of the 20K held at the start plus the 16K received, less 4.2K withheld by the company for taxes.	No plan disclosed
Sarah King SVP, Chief People Officer	$1.9M 9K shares	94%† i † Most of the shares Sarah King sold arrived during the period, so this is shares sold as a share of the 5.2K held at the start plus the 6.9K received, less 2.5K withheld by the company for taxes.	No plan disclosed
Todd Burrowes Group Pres, Pres, Chuy's	$1.5M 7.1K shares	13%	No plan disclosed
Douglas Milanes SVP, Chief Supply Chain Ofcr	$732K 3.6K shares	47%† i † Most of the shares Douglas Milanes sold arrived during the period, so this is shares sold as a share of the 3.8K held at the start plus the 5.1K received, less 1.2K withheld by the company for taxes.	No plan disclosed
Charles Sonsteby Director	$641K 3.1K shares	12%	No plan disclosed
William Simon Director	$476K 2.3K shares	27%	No plan disclosed
Laura Williamson President, LongHorn Steakhouse	$318K 1.6K shares	9.2%	No plan disclosed
Lindsay Koren SVP General Counsel	$58K 300 shares	11%† i † Most of the shares Lindsay Koren sold arrived during the period, so this is shares sold as a share of the 1.9K held at the start plus the 1.1K received, less 270 withheld by the company for taxes.	No plan disclosed

The full ownership picture21 of 21 insiders fully reconciled · 21 officers and directors

Vested shares across all share classes, held directly and through trusts, LLCs and family members, as reported on SEC Forms 3, 4 and 5. Unvested awards and options are never counted as owned shares.

Insider

Held Oct 9, 2025

Sold

Held Oct 9, 2026

Still held

Ricardo Cardenas

Minor difference of 281 shares. Difference is under 0.5% of holdings.

President and CEO, Director

81K

−39K

86K

not meaningful

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Ricardo Cardenas

+63Kshares vested or exercised

−2.4Kgifted (net of own trusts)

−17Kwithheld by the company for taxes

60K → 52Kunvested awards, start → end

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	81,442	86,146

Stock options (not counted as shares):

Options held	Strike price	Expires	Intrinsic value (estimate)
48,995	$139.43	Jul 24, 2034	$3.1M
33,011	$208.51	Jul 23, 2035	$0
37,735	$212.23	Jul 29, 2036	$0

Estimate: options held × ($202.61 − strike price), using the most recent insider trade price on Form 4 (Oct 6, 2026), not a market close.

Reconciliation: minor difference of 281 shares. Difference is under 0.5% of holdings.

Todd Burrowes

Minor difference of 144 shares. Difference is under 0.5% of holdings.

Group Pres, Pres, Chuy's

53K

−7.1K

51K

95%

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Todd Burrowes

+11Kshares vested or exercised

−2.2Kgifted (net of own trusts)

−4.2Kwithheld by the company for taxes

13K → 8.7Kunvested awards, start → end

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	53,458	50,741

Stock options (not counted as shares):

Options held	Strike price	Expires	Intrinsic value (estimate)
7,945	$139.43	Jul 24, 2034	$502K
5,079	$208.51	Jul 23, 2035	$0
5,890	$212.23	Jul 29, 2036	$0

Estimate: options held × ($202.61 − strike price), using the most recent insider trade price on Form 4 (Oct 6, 2026), not a market close.

Reconciliation: minor difference of 144 shares. Difference is under 0.5% of holdings.

Daniel Kiernan

President, Olive Garden

35K

no sales

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Daniel Kiernan

0shares vested or exercised

0gifted (net of own trusts)

10K → 10Kunvested awards, start → end

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	34,988	34,988
Spouse	Common Stock	242	242
401k and Spouse's 401k	Common Stock	147	147

Stock options (not counted as shares):

Options held	Strike price	Expires	Intrinsic value (estimate)
6,212	$78.84	Jul 29, 2030	$769K
9,005	$139.43	Jul 24, 2034	$569K
1,608	$208.51	Jul 23, 2035	$0
344	$139.43	Jul 24, 2034	$22K
220	$208.51	Jul 23, 2035	$0

Estimate: options held × ($202.61 − strike price), using the most recent insider trade price on Form 4 (Oct 6, 2026), not a market close.

Timothy Wilmott

Director

27K

no sales

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Timothy Wilmott

0shares vested or exercised

0gifted (net of own trusts)

7.7K → 9.3Kunvested awards, start → end

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Trust	Common Stock	27,094	27,094

James Fogarty

Director

27K

no sales

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for James Fogarty

+886shares vested or exercised

0gifted (net of own trusts)

886 → 936unvested awards, start → end

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	26,548	27,434

Charles Sonsteby

Director

26K

−3.1K

23K

90%

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Charles Sonsteby

+531shares vested or exercised

0gifted (net of own trusts)

4K → 4.4Kunvested awards, start → end

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	21,943	19,351
GRAT	Common Stock	4,056	4,056

John Wilkerson

Minor difference of 41 shares. Difference is under 0.5% of holdings.

President, Olive Garden

21K

−11K

19K

not meaningful

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for John Wilkerson

+12Kshares vested or exercised

−670gifted (net of own trusts)

−2Kwithheld by the company for taxes

7.3K → 5.8Kunvested awards, start → end

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	20,702	18,794
401k	Common Stock	596	615

Stock options (not counted as shares):

Options held	Strike price	Expires	Intrinsic value (estimate)
5,429	$121.47	Jul 27, 2032	$441K
3,973	$139.43	Jul 24, 2034	$251K
4,241	$148.20	Jul 28, 2031	$231K
3,399	$169.02	Jul 26, 2033	$114K
3,386	$208.51	Jul 23, 2035	$0
4,786	$212.23	Jul 29, 2036	$0

Estimate: options held × ($202.61 − strike price), using the most recent insider trade price on Form 4 (Oct 6, 2026), not a market close.

Reconciliation: minor difference of 41 shares. Difference is under 0.5% of holdings.

Melvin Martin

Minor difference of 206 shares. Small increase from dividend reinvestment. Small increase from dividend reinvestment.

Group President

20K

−10K

22K

not meaningful

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Melvin Martin

+16Kshares vested or exercised

0gifted (net of own trusts)

−4.2Kwithheld by the company for taxes

13K → 8.7Kunvested awards, start → end

Small increase from dividend reinvestment. Filing 1 Filing 2 Filing 3

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	20,046	21,560

Stock options (not counted as shares):

Options held	Strike price	Expires	Intrinsic value (estimate)
7,945	$139.43	Jul 24, 2034	$502K
5,079	$208.51	Jul 23, 2035	$0
5,890	$212.23	Jul 29, 2036	$0

Estimate: options held × ($202.61 − strike price), using the most recent insider trade price on Form 4 (Oct 6, 2026), not a market close.

Reconciliation: minor difference of 206 shares. Small increase from dividend reinvestment.

Laura Williamson

Minor difference of 263 shares. Small increase from a 401(k) plan and dividend reinvestment. Small increase from a 401(k) plan and dividend reinvestment.

President, LongHorn Steakhouse

17K

−1.6K

17K

+1.6%

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Laura Williamson

+2.1Kshares vested or exercised

0gifted (net of own trusts)

−504withheld by the company for taxes

4.4K → 4.4Kunvested awards, start → end

Small increase from a 401(k) plan and dividend reinvestment. Filing 1 Filing 2

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	10,632	10,754
Spouse	Common Stock	5,423	5,536
401k	Common Stock	909	936

Stock options (not counted as shares):

Options held	Strike price	Expires	Intrinsic value (estimate)
1,448	$121.47	Jul 27, 2032	$117K
2,545	$124.24	Jul 24, 2029	$199K
1,212	$148.20	Jul 28, 2031	$66K
906	$169.02	Jul 26, 2033	$30K
3,443	$139.43	Jul 24, 2034	$218K
3,047	$208.51	Jul 23, 2035	$0
3,405	$212.23	Jul 29, 2036	$0
579	$121.47	Jul 27, 2032	$47K
1,018	$124.24	Jul 24, 2029	$80K
485	$148.20	Jul 28, 2031	$26K
363	$169.02	Jul 26, 2033	$12K
424	$139.43	Jul 24, 2034	$27K
271	$208.51	Jul 23, 2035	$0
368	$212.23	Jul 29, 2036	$0

Estimate: options held × ($202.61 − strike price), using the most recent insider trade price on Form 4 (Oct 6, 2026), not a market close.

Reconciliation: minor difference of 263 shares. Small increase from a 401(k) plan and dividend reinvestment.

Matthew Broad

SVP General Counsel

14K

no sales

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Matthew Broad

0shares vested or exercised

0gifted (net of own trusts)

9.1K → 9.1Kunvested awards, start → end

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	13,916	13,916

Stock options (not counted as shares):

Options held	Strike price	Expires	Intrinsic value (estimate)
7,416	$139.43	Jul 24, 2034	$469K
5,756	$208.51	Jul 23, 2035	$0

Estimate: options held × ($202.61 − strike price), using the most recent insider trade price on Form 4 (Oct 6, 2026), not a market close.

Rajesh Vennam

Minor difference of 141 shares. Small increase from dividend reinvestment. Small increase from dividend reinvestment.

SVP, CFO

13K

−15K

8.6K

not meaningful

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Rajesh Vennam

+16Kshares vested or exercised

−500gifted (net of own trusts)

−5.2Kwithheld by the company for taxes

18K → 14Kunvested awards, start → end

Small increase from dividend reinvestment. Filing 1 Filing 2 Filing 3

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	13,062	8,569

Stock options (not counted as shares):

Options held	Strike price	Expires	Intrinsic value (estimate)
13,772	$139.43	Jul 24, 2034	$870K
9,311	$208.51	Jul 23, 2035	$0
11,044	$212.23	Jul 29, 2036	$0

Estimate: options held × ($202.61 − strike price), using the most recent insider trade price on Form 4 (Oct 6, 2026), not a market close.

Reconciliation: minor difference of 141 shares. Small increase from dividend reinvestment.

John Madonna

Minor difference of 150 shares. Small increase from dividend reinvestment. Small increase from dividend reinvestment.

SVP, Corporate Controller

9.6K

11K

no sales

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for John Madonna

+2.9Kshares vested or exercised

−1.1Kgifted (net of own trusts)

−701withheld by the company for taxes

3.5K → 2.7Kunvested awards, start → end

Small increase from dividend reinvestment. Filing 1 Filing 2 Filing 3

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	9,556	10,808

Stock options (not counted as shares):

Options held	Strike price	Expires	Intrinsic value (estimate)
2,384	$139.43	Jul 24, 2034	$151K
1,693	$208.51	Jul 23, 2035	$0
1,841	$212.23	Jul 29, 2036	$0

Estimate: options held × ($202.61 − strike price), using the most recent insider trade price on Form 4 (Oct 6, 2026), not a market close.

Reconciliation: minor difference of 150 shares. Small increase from dividend reinvestment.

William Simon

New Form 3 filed 2014-10-23; earlier filings set aside.

Director

8.6K

−2.3K

7.2K

83%

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for William Simon

+886shares vested or exercised

0gifted (net of own trusts)

886 → 936unvested awards, start → end

New Form 3 filed 2014-10-23; earlier filings set aside.

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	8,614	7,167

Susan Connelly

Minor difference of 135 shares. Small increase from dividend reinvestment. Small increase from dividend reinvestment.

SVP, Chief Comm & PA Officer

7.3K

−15K

4.2K

not meaningful

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Susan Connelly

+14Kshares vested or exercised

−600gifted (net of own trusts)

−1.4Kwithheld by the company for taxes

4.4K → 3Kunvested awards, start → end

Small increase from dividend reinvestment. Filing 1 Filing 2 Filing 3

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	7,265	4,165

Stock options (not counted as shares):

Options held	Strike price	Expires	Intrinsic value (estimate)
1,810	$121.47	Jul 27, 2032	$147K
2,648	$139.43	Jul 24, 2034	$167K
1,862	$208.51	Jul 23, 2035	$0
2,209	$212.23	Jul 29, 2036	$0

Estimate: options held × ($202.61 − strike price), using the most recent insider trade price on Form 4 (Oct 6, 2026), not a market close.

Reconciliation: minor difference of 135 shares. Small increase from dividend reinvestment.

Cynthia Jamison

Director

no sales

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Cynthia Jamison

0shares vested or exercised

0gifted (net of own trusts)

3.2K → 4.6Kunvested awards, start → end

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	6,961	6,961

Sarah King

Minor difference of 144 shares. Small increase from dividend reinvestment. Small increase from dividend reinvestment. Additional holdings last reported more than 3 years ago are shown separately and excluded from totals.

SVP, Chief People Officer

5.2K

−9K

743

not meaningful

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Sarah King

+6.9Kshares vested or exercised

0gifted (net of own trusts)

−2.5Kwithheld by the company for taxes

8.8K → 6.8Kunvested awards, start → end

Small increase from dividend reinvestment. Filing 1 Filing 2 Filing 3
Additional holdings last reported more than 3 years ago are shown separately and excluded from totals.

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	5,204	743

Additional holdings last reported Jul 29, 2023, not confirmed since: 0 shares. Not included in any total or percentage on this page.

Son, Common Stock: 0 shares, last reported Jul 29, 2023

Stock options (not counted as shares):

Options held	Strike price	Expires	Intrinsic value (estimate)
5,826	$139.43	Jul 24, 2034	$368K
4,571	$208.51	Jul 23, 2035	$0
5,338	$212.23	Jul 29, 2036	$0

Estimate: options held × ($202.61 − strike price), using the most recent insider trade price on Form 4 (Oct 6, 2026), not a market close.

Reconciliation: minor difference of 144 shares. Small increase from dividend reinvestment.

Juliana Chugg

Director

4.3K

5.1K

no sales

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Juliana Chugg

+886shares vested or exercised

0gifted (net of own trusts)

3K → 3.1Kunvested awards, start → end

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	4,258	5,144

Douglas Milanes

Minor difference of 131 shares. Small increase from dividend reinvestment. Small increase from dividend reinvestment.

SVP, Chief Supply Chain Ofcr

3.8K

−3.6K

3.8K

not meaningful

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Douglas Milanes

+5.1Kshares vested or exercised

0gifted (net of own trusts)

−1.2Kwithheld by the company for taxes

6.1K → 4.1Kunvested awards, start → end

Small increase from dividend reinvestment. Filing 1 Filing 2 Filing 3

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	3,795	3,834

Stock options (not counted as shares):

Options held	Strike price	Expires	Intrinsic value (estimate)
3,708	$139.43	Jul 24, 2034	$234K
2,539	$208.51	Jul 23, 2035	$0
2,761	$212.23	Jul 29, 2036	$0

Estimate: options held × ($202.61 − strike price), using the most recent insider trade price on Form 4 (Oct 6, 2026), not a market close.

Reconciliation: minor difference of 131 shares. Small increase from dividend reinvestment.

Lindsay Koren

Minor difference of 9 shares. Difference is under 0.5% of holdings. Started reporting during the period; starting holdings are from the Form 3.

SVP General Counsel

1.9K

−300

2.5K

not meaningful

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Lindsay Koren

+1.1Kshares vested or exercised

0gifted (net of own trusts)

−270withheld by the company for taxes

1.3K → 2Kunvested awards, start → end

Started reporting during the period; starting holdings are from the Form 3.

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	1,913	2,454

Stock options (not counted as shares):

Options held	Strike price	Expires	Intrinsic value (estimate)
1,086	$121.47	Jul 27, 2032	$88K
795	$139.43	Jul 24, 2034	$50K
455	$148.20	Jul 28, 2031	$25K
680	$169.02	Jul 26, 2033	$23K
508	$208.51	Jul 23, 2035	$0
4,050	$212.23	Jul 29, 2036	$0

Estimate: options held × ($202.61 − strike price), using the most recent insider trade price on Form 4 (Oct 6, 2026), not a market close.

Reconciliation: minor difference of 9 shares. Difference is under 0.5% of holdings.

Daryl Kenningham

Director

1.3K

2.8K

no sales

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Daryl Kenningham

+1.5Kshares vested or exercised

0gifted (net of own trusts)

886 → 936unvested awards, start → end

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	1,280	2,810

Shan Atkins

Director

1.2K

no sales

Vesting, gifts, unvested awards and holding lines for Shan Atkins

0shares vested or exercised

0gifted (net of own trusts)

886 → 1.8Kunvested awards, start → end

Held through	Share class	Oct 9, 2025	Oct 9, 2026
Direct	Common Stock	1,162	1,162

21 of 21 insiders fully reconciled: starting holdings plus reported transactions match ending holdings (10 exactly, 11 with a minor or footnoted difference). Percentages cover 13 of 21 officers and directors. Left out: Ricardo Cardenas, John Wilkerson, Melvin Martin, Rajesh Vennam, Susan Connelly, Sarah King, Douglas Milanes and Lindsay Koren (most of their shares vested during the period, so a percentage would mislead). "Still held" compares ending with starting vested shares; a plus sign means the holding grew.

What explains the selling$24.4M of sales by plan status, purpose, seller and month

Officer and director open-market sales: $24.4M across 117,509 shares. Plan status and stated purpose are separate questions, and a sale can have both.

By plan status

No plan disclosed · $24.4M

Sales with no 10b5-1 plan and no tax reference in the filing. $8.2M of it is Ricardo Cardenas. No plan disclosed is a statement about the filing, not about why the sale happened. Largest such sale: Ricardo Cardenas, Jul 28, 2026

Taxes

39,583 shares ($7.8M) were withheld by the company for taxes, which isn't a market sale.

Charitable gifts · 7.4K shares

Gifts the filings describe as charitable. Gifts are not sales and are not included in the sale totals.

Seller	Shares sold	Proceeds	Under a disclosed plan	Share of total	Sales dates
Ricardo Cardenas President and CEO, Director	39K	$8.2M	0%	34%	Jul 28, 2026 to Jul 28, 2026
Rajesh Vennam SVP, CFO	15K	$3.2M	0%	13%	Jan 15, 2026 to Jul 29, 2026
Susan Connelly SVP, Chief Comm & PA Officer	15K	$3.1M	0%	13%	Jan 14, 2026 to Jul 29, 2026
John Wilkerson President, Olive Garden	11K	$2.3M	0%	10%	Jan 16, 2026 to Aug 5, 2026
Melvin Martin Group President	10K	$2.0M	0%	8%	Oct 14, 2025 to Oct 6, 2026
Sarah King SVP, Chief People Officer	9K	$1.9M	0%	8%	Jan 22, 2026 to Jul 29, 2026
Todd Burrowes Group Pres, Pres, Chuy's	7.1K	$1.5M	0%	6%	Jan 13, 2026 to Jan 13, 2026
Douglas Milanes SVP, Chief Supply Chain Ofcr	3.6K	$732K	0%	3%	Apr 17, 2026 to Apr 17, 2026
Charles Sonsteby Director	3.1K	$641K	0%	3%	Jan 23, 2026 to Jan 23, 2026
William Simon Director	2.3K	$476K	0%	2%	Mar 23, 2026 to Mar 23, 2026
Laura Williamson President, LongHorn Steakhouse	1.6K	$318K	0%	1%	Jul 31, 2026 to Jul 31, 2026
Lindsay Koren SVP General Counsel	300	$58K	0%	0.2%	Apr 7, 2026 to Apr 7, 2026

Sales by month

Month	Sale proceeds	Disclosed plan	To cover taxes	No plan disclosed
Oct 2025	$314K	$0	$0	$314K
Nov 2025	$0	$0	$0	$0
Dec 2025	$0	$0	$0	$0
Jan 2026	$5.8M	$0	$0	$5.8M
Feb 2026	$0	$0	$0	$0
Mar 2026	$476K	$0	$0	$476K
Apr 2026	$1.8M	$0	$0	$1.8M
May 2026	$0	$0	$0	$0
Jun 2026	$0	$0	$0	$0
Jul 2026	$13.7M	$0	$0	$13.7M
Aug 2026	$1.8M	$0	$0	$1.8M
Sep 2026	$0	$0	$0	$0
Oct 2026	$448K	$0	$0	$448K

Is this normal? Selling year by year5 earlier years to compare with

Less than usual: about half of the 5-year average. 12 insiders sold; the average is 11 a year.

12 months ending	Shares sold	Insiders who sold	Proceeds
Oct 9, 2026 Latest 12 months	118K	12	$24.4M
Oct 9, 2025 1 year earlier	193K	13	$39.3M
Oct 9, 2024 2 years earlier	162K	11	$26.9M
Oct 10, 2023 3 years earlier	430K	13	$68.7M
Oct 10, 2022 4 years earlier	122K	3	$17.4M
Oct 10, 2021 5 years earlier	433K	13	$62.0M

Open-market sales (Form 4 code S) by people who were officers or directors, in split-adjusted shares. Earlier years include people who have since left. A sale that an outside holder also reports (a family trust, a fund) is counted with outside holders in every year. Shares, not dollars, are compared, so a change in the stock price doesn't look like a change in selling. Years the filings don't fully cover are shown but left out of the average.

Known gaps and uncertaintyEvery officer and director reconciles

Every officer and director reconciles for this period.

Ricardo Cardenas: minor difference of 281 shares. Difference is under 0.5% of holdings.

Todd Burrowes: minor difference of 144 shares. Difference is under 0.5% of holdings.

John Wilkerson: minor difference of 41 shares. Difference is under 0.5% of holdings.

Melvin Martin: minor difference of 206 shares. Small increase from dividend reinvestment.

Laura Williamson: minor difference of 263 shares. Small increase from a 401(k) plan and dividend reinvestment.

Rajesh Vennam: minor difference of 141 shares. Small increase from dividend reinvestment.

John Madonna: minor difference of 150 shares. Small increase from dividend reinvestment.

Susan Connelly: minor difference of 135 shares. Small increase from dividend reinvestment.

Sarah King: minor difference of 144 shares. Small increase from dividend reinvestment.

Douglas Milanes: minor difference of 131 shares. Small increase from dividend reinvestment.

Lindsay Koren: minor difference of 9 shares. Difference is under 0.5% of holdings.

External context: we only cite outside events when a documented connection exists. None is shown for this period.

Sources and methodology2,351 filings from SEC EDGAR, and how we read them

All 2,351 Forms 3, 4 and 5 filed for Darden Restaurants (SEC CIK 940944) from Aug 8, 1996 to Oct 8, 2026, retrieved from SEC EDGAR on Oct 9, 2026. Prices are the ones reported in each filing, often weighted averages. 2 filings were left out because Darden Restaurants filed them as an owner of another company's stock. 439 older filings exist only on paper and could not be read.

Holdings. Each holding line (a share class plus an owner, such as a trust or LLC) carries its last reported balance forward. Entities first reported during the period start at zero, so transfers between an insider's own trusts don't count as selling. Lines not reported for three years or more are listed separately and left out of totals.

Sales. A sale counts as under a 10b5-1 plan if its footnote cites one or the filing's Rule 10b5-1 box is checked, and as tax-related if its footnote cites tax obligations or sell-to-cover. Shares withheld by the company for taxes are listed separately. Sales with neither attribute are labeled "no plan disclosed".

Full methodology

Former or inactive filers (54)No filing in 18 months; last reported balances, not in any total

Name	Last filed	Last reported balance
Nana Mensah	Jan 30, 2025	5,788 shares, last reported balance as of Jan 28, 2025
Eugene Lee Jr.	Sep 22, 2023	160,699 shares, last reported balance as of Sep 20, 2023
Richard Renninger	Aug 3, 2023	25,756 shares, last reported balance as of Jul 29, 2023
David George	Jul 29, 2020	78,216 shares, last reported balance as of Jul 27, 2020
Brad Blum	Sep 25, 2017	8,487 shares, last reported balance as of Sep 21, 2017
Danielle Kirgan	Oct 12, 2016	14,403 shares, last reported balance as of Oct 11, 2016
Jean Birch	Sep 23, 2016	4,708 shares, last reported balance as of Sep 17, 2016
Lionel Nowell III	Aug 30, 2016	400 shares, last reported balance as of Aug 26, 2016
Alan Stillman	Apr 20, 2016	3,100 shares, last reported balance as of Apr 12, 2016
Jeffrey Smith	Mar 18, 2016	6,615,000 shares, last reported balance as of Mar 18, 2016
William Lenehan	Sep 30, 2015	2,108 shares, last reported balance as of Sep 17, 2015
Betsy Atkins	Sep 1, 2015	409 shares, last reported balance as of Aug 28, 2015
Peter Feld	Sep 1, 2015	11,635,000 shares, last reported balance as of Aug 28, 2015
Harald Herrmann	Jul 30, 2015	No balance on record
Jeffrey Davis	Jul 30, 2015	No balance on record
Bradford Richmond	Jul 24, 2015	22,731 shares, last reported balance as of Jul 23, 2015
Valerie Insignares	Jul 24, 2015	38,905 shares, last reported balance as of Jul 22, 2015
Lothrop David	Mar 26, 2015	3,784 shares, last reported balance as of Mar 24, 2015
Daisy Ng	Dec 23, 2014	613 shares, last reported balance as of Dec 22, 2014
Robert McAdam	Oct 30, 2014	4,987 shares, last reported balance as of Oct 28, 2014
Clarence Otis Jr.	Oct 15, 2014	338,995 shares, last reported balance as of Oct 13, 2014
Michael Rose	Aug 26, 2014	35,904 shares, last reported balance as of Aug 22, 2014
Maria Sastre	Aug 26, 2014	21,734 shares, last reported balance as of Aug 22, 2014
Charles Ledsinger Jr.	Aug 26, 2014	1,505 shares, last reported balance as of Aug 22, 2014
William Lewis Jr.	Aug 26, 2014	53,232 shares, last reported balance as of Aug 22, 2014
Christopher Fraleigh	Aug 26, 2014	25,875 shares, last reported balance as of Aug 22, 2014
Teresa Sebastian	Jul 25, 2014	1,000 shares, last reported balance as of Jul 23, 2014
David Hughes	Jul 16, 2014	74,996 shares, last reported balance as of Jul 8, 2014
Leonard Berry	Jun 27, 2014	35,369 shares, last reported balance as of Jun 25, 2014
Salli Setta	Jun 17, 2014	32,866 shares, last reported balance as of Jun 16, 2014
Cornelius McGillicudy III	Jan 10, 2014	25,579 shares, last reported balance as of Jan 8, 2014
David Pickens	Jan 6, 2014	62,874 shares, last reported balance as of Jan 2, 2014
Kim Lopdrup	Sep 27, 2013	37,036 shares, last reported balance as of Sep 25, 2013
Victoria Harker	Sep 20, 2013	11,620 shares, last reported balance as of Sep 18, 2013
Michael Barnes	Sep 20, 2013	4,732 shares, last reported balance as of Sep 18, 2013
Andrew Madsen	Jul 26, 2013	126,514 shares, last reported balance as of Jul 24, 2013
James Buettgen	Oct 4, 2012	32,151 shares, last reported balance as of Oct 2, 2012
John Caron	Aug 1, 2012	18,603 shares, last reported balance as of Jul 30, 2012
Odie Donald	May 2, 2012	16,110 shares, last reported balance as of May 1, 2012
Valerie Collins	Aug 2, 2011	35,813 shares, last reported balance as of Jul 30, 2011
Paula Shives	Aug 3, 2010	59,932 shares, last reported balance as of Jul 30, 2010
Jack Smith	Sep 1, 2009	66,883 shares, last reported balance as of Aug 28, 2009
Daniel Lyons	Mar 30, 2009	73,612 shares, last reported balance as of Mar 26, 2009
Lauire Burns	Jan 4, 2008	52,106 shares, last reported balance as of Dec 28, 2007
Barry Moullet	Oct 1, 2007	52,279 shares, last reported balance as of Sep 27, 2007
Rita Wilson	Sep 18, 2007	12,017 shares, last reported balance as of Sep 14, 2007
Blaine Sweatt III	Jul 3, 2007	325,757 shares, last reported balance as of Nov 9, 2006
Linda Dimopoulos	Nov 22, 2006	141,770 shares, last reported balance as of Nov 21, 2006
Richard Walsh	Sep 28, 2006	63,497 shares, last reported balance as of Sep 26, 2006
Stephen Helsel	Jul 7, 2005	92,440 shares, last reported balance as of Jun 30, 2005
Joe Lee	Jul 7, 2005	1,396,640 shares, last reported balance as of Jun 30, 2005
DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC		No balance on record
Edna Morris		No balance on record
Richard Rivera		No balance on record

Spotted something wrong on this page? Report an error. We check every report against the SEC filing and list what we fix in the corrections log.

Darden Restaurants insiders sold $24.4M in the past 12 months. How much of their stake is that?

What stands out

Who sold, and how much of their stake

Selling by month

Common questions

Is the Darden Restaurants CEO selling stock?

Why are Darden Restaurants insiders selling?

Are any Darden Restaurants insiders buying?

How much of their stake did Darden Restaurants insiders sell?

The evidence

No plan disclosed · $24.4M

Taxes

Charitable gifts · 7.4K shares

Sales by month