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President Trump is about to rewrite the rules of the stock market.
2025 showed just how much influence he has…
Liberation Day triggered the fastest 10% drawdown in recent memory — wiping over $2 trillion off the markets in a single day.
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Regards,
Lauren Wingfield
Managing Editor, The Opportunistic Trader
Darden Restaurants Has the Growth and Cash Flow to Hit New Highs
Written by Thomas Hughes. Date Posted: 3/20/2026.
Key Points
- Darden’s Q3 fiscal year 2026 results showed steady sales and comparable-sales growth, alongside an EPS beat on an adjusted basis.
- The company kept returning capital through dividends and buybacks, with repurchases continuing to reduce share count.
- Bahama Breeze-related charges weighed on reported results, but updated full-year guidance points to continued momentum into 2026.
- Special Report: Elon Musk already made me a "wealthy man"
Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI) stock could reach a new high this year because the company is growing, generating cash flow, and returning capital to shareholders who are continuing to accumulate shares. That setup was reinforced in the company's Q3 fiscal year 2026 (FY2026) earnings report, which showed solid revenue growth, resilient same-store sales, and an improved full-year outlook. The key takeaway for 2026 is that multiple factors point to higher share prices — not just Darden's quality — suggesting a new high is a reasonable target. In this environment analysts remain broadly bullish, and institutions continue to accumulate as the company performs, drives cash flow, pays dividends, and repurchases shares.
The capital return is substantial. At recent prices the stock yields about 2.94%, and dividend growth has been aggressive. Buybacks are attractive as well: Q3 activity reduced share count by 1.86% for the quarter and about 1.5% on average for the year, with the pace expected to continue into Q4 and the next fiscal year. There is sufficient authorization remaining to sustain buybacks for roughly five to six quarters at the FY2026 pace, and an additional authorization is likely.
Darden's Quality Shines Through Impairments and One-Offs
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Consider what Tesla's IPO meant for early investors: a $50,000 position held for 10 years grew to $1.5 million. The SpaceX IPO is projected to be even larger.
Before April 20th, there is still a backdoor way to secure a pre-IPO stake in SpaceX. Here is how to get positioned.
Claim Your Pre-IPO PositionDarden had a solid Q3 despite taking one-offs and impairments tied to Bahama Breeze. Those impairments are the result of a review and turnaround effort that, regrettably, means the end of the brand. Most Bahama Breeze locations will be converted to other restaurant formats, while the company's core brands — including Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, and the Other category — continue to grow.
The result was $3.35 billion in revenue, up 5.9% year-over-year and slightly ahead of expectations. Strength was most evident at LongHorn, which grew comps by 7.2%, and in the Other category, which rose 3.9%. Systemwide, comps in ongoing operations improved a stronger-than-expected 4.2%, helped in part by a higher store count. Store count increased by 31 locations, or 1.4%.
Margins were mixed. GAAP results looked weaker than expected but reflected one-time items tied to the Bahama Breeze review and restaurant closures. On an adjusted basis, results were notably stronger and more in line with investor expectations; comparisons should improve as the one-time items roll off.
Guidance is another positive. Management raised its full-year outlook for revenue and earnings, putting targets modestly above consensus. The company now expects about 9.5% topline growth for the year, including roughly 2% attributable to an extra fiscal week, and adjusted EPS of $10.57 to $10.67, with the low end roughly in line with consensus.
Bullish Revisions Keep the Darden Restaurants Outlook Intact
Analysts' reactions to Darden's results and guidance were cautiously optimistic and generally aligned with the bullish trend. MarketBeat tracked no immediate downgrades after the release, though several commentaries addressed growth opportunities, the Bahama Breeze actions, and operational headwinds such as adverse weather.
The company estimated a roughly 100-basis-point impact related to Winter Storm Fern — enough to move the needle. Among the 19 analysts MarketBeat tracks, the stock is rated a Moderate Buy with a 68% buy-side bias; the consensus price target implies about 11% upside, and the revision trend remains bullish, pointing toward the $260 range and fresh all-time highs.
Institutional ownership is helping limit downside. Data show institutions owning nearly 90% of the stock and accumulating at a roughly two-to-one buy/sell ratio over the trailing 12 months, while increasing purchases in Q1 2026. That creates a solid support base and makes it less likely the stock will fall below the 150-day exponential moving average (EMA); if it does, it would likely trigger a technical buying signal.
Darden's price action slipped following the release, opening slightly below the 150-day EMA and then triggering a bullish response. The market recovered from the early low, confirming support at that critical level and setting the stage for continued gains as the year progresses. Resistance near $210, $220, and $227 may cause intermittent volatility but are not expected to cap gains over the long term. The $220 level is particularly important — a move above it would clear the baseline of a head-and-shoulders pattern and open the door to a more sustainable rally.
When Insider Selling Is a Good Thing: 2 Stocks to Watch
By Thomas Hughes. Article Posted: 3/23/2026.
Key Points
- Waste Management insiders sold roughly $25 million in stock after shares hit an all-time high in early 2026, but institutional accumulation and a growing dividend keep the long-term outlook bullish.
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals faces heavier insider and institutional selling, though analysts see roughly 25% upside driven by the commercial ramp of Olezarsen.
- Both stocks have pulled back from recent highs, potentially creating entry points for investors willing to look past short-term selling pressure.
- Special Report: Elon Musk already made me a "wealthy man"
Insider selling can be a positive signal when insiders are simply taking profits in stocks whose outlooks remain increasingly bullish. In this note, one stock is a steady, cash-generating dividend-growth name, while the other is a commercial-stage biopharma with a double-digit (near hyper-growth) outlook. In both cases, these stocks have pulled back from early-2026 highs amid insider selling, creating entry points for new investors.
Waste Management Doesn't Waste Time: Growth and Dividends in 2026
Waste Management (NYSE: WM) rallied about 25% from its 2025 low to a new all-time high in early 2026. That peak prompted several insiders—including the CEO, CFO, CAO, COO and a number of VPs—to trim positions. While that selling capped gains in Q1, it is largely immaterial to the longer-term outlook: insiders collectively own only 0.18% of the shares and reported sales totaled less than $25 million, while other market forces remain constructive for the name.
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A $1.5 trillion valuation. That is what industry experts are projecting for the highly anticipated SpaceX IPO, expected to be announced on April 20th — potentially surpassing the combined market caps of the six largest U.S. defense contractors.
Consider what Tesla's IPO meant for early investors: a $50,000 position held for 10 years grew to $1.5 million. The SpaceX IPO is projected to be even larger.
Before April 20th, there is still a backdoor way to secure a pre-IPO stake in SpaceX. Here is how to get positioned.
Claim Your Pre-IPO PositionInstitutional activity shows accumulation over the trailing 12-month period. Activity ramped up in 2025 and has remained strong into 2026, with institutions owning a relatively high 80% of the float. Notably, this group has been net buyers for three years with no distribution quarters, and the earnings and capital-return outlook suggests that trend can continue.
Analysts are also bullish, with 25 analyst ratings currently tracked for 2026. That coverage provides support for the stock, a potential price tailwind and an incentive for investors to buy and hold.
Sentiment is firming: the Moderate Buy consensus is edging toward Strong Buy, and price targets are trending upward. The consensus implies roughly 10% upside as of late March; rising analyst estimates, however, could push the stock to a new all-time high.
The dividend is another reason to own WM. The company yielded a market-beating 1.65% in early 2026, with a payout ratio of roughly 56% of earnings and a history of annual increases. As currently positioned, Waste Management appears on track for potential inclusion in the Dividend Aristocrats Index by decade's end—a development that would likely increase buy-and-hold ownership, reduce volatility and support the stock's uptrend.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals: A Cautious Outlook for a Potential Blockbuster
Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: IONS) is an RNA-focused biopharma with multiple products on the market and two that matter most. Spinraza, sold through a partner, has seen blockbuster-level sales that are now in decline. The other, a wholly owned therapy called Olezarsen, is expected to achieve peak sales above $2 billion. Many analysts view that $2 billion estimate as conservative, and price targets have been rising accordingly.
Insider selling at Ionis resembles WM's pattern in timing but is larger in magnitude. Insiders sold heavily in 2025 and continued in Q1 2026, and institutional investors have been significant sellers as well. Institutions own more than 90% of the stock, and their profit-taking—evident in three of four quarters in 2025 and accelerating in Q1 2026—has been a meaningful headwind.
Analysts offer a counterweight. Institutions likely trimmed positions after the stock more than doubled from its 2025 low, but analyst coverage paints a different picture: a consensus Moderate Buy from 21 analysts, growing coverage, firmer sentiment and rising price targets. That consensus points to about 25% upside by year-end, with the high end of analyst targets another 10%+ above that.
Growth is the core thesis for Ionis. The company is forecast to sustain a high-20% growth rate well into the next decade, reach profitability in 2028 and improve margins thereafter. On long-term projections, a 7x multiple on 2035 earnings would leave room for the stock to more than double and still trade at an attractive valuation. If Olezarsen's forecasts are indeed conservative and the pipeline delivers, the upside could be materially higher—several candidates are positioned for near- and mid-term commercialization.
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