Sterne Agee Maintains Buy on Darden Restaurants

Sterne Agee is out with its report today on Darden Restaurants DRI, maintaining Buy. In a note to clients, Sterne Agee writes, "Our investment thesis on DRI remains intact given the following: 1) Attractive valuation (~13x our FY12 EPS estimate); 2) Differentiated core brands; 3) Strong operating expertise; and 4) Superior marketing capability. Accordingly, we are maintaining our BUY rating and $55 price target." At the time of posting, shares of DRI were trading at $50.96, up 2.41% from Thursday's close.