<p> Darden shares saw a <B>huge boost</b> this morning as the hedge fund Starboard won consent from 54% of Darden shareholders to call a special meeting regarding the potential spin-off of Red Lobster. The consent gives Darden a 60-day deadline to call the meeting and consider a nonbinding shareholder proposal. As of 1:44 PM ET, stocks saw a huge boost in numbers and rose <B>$1.65 to $49.84, a 3.53% increase</b>. That number is continuing to rise as trading continues throughout the day. How might this meeting between shareholders continue to affect the company’s shares as the week continues?<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Starboard, one of the largest shareholders of Darden Restaurants, has continued to advise Darden that the company’s plans to either spin-out or sell Red Lobster is <B>not in the best interest of shareholders</b> and could <B>seriously lower the stock’s value</b>, while also depriving the parent company of almost half of its real estate, according to Bloomberg. Other shareholders have expressed similar concerns. Starboard estimates that Darden’s real estate holdings are worth about <B>$4 billion</b>.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Clarence Otis Jr., CEO of Darden, recently commented on these concerns saying, “Given the significance of the initiatives underway at Darden, we believe it’s important that we continue engaging with our shareholders directly and individually so that we receive input in a productive and nuanced manner,” said Otis. “…We believe that shareholders should continue to engage directly with the company and <B>should not view a special meeting as a substitute</b> for that ongoing two way engagement. We look forward to continue to speak with our shareholders and with the investment community.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> How will Darden itself react to this special meeting? Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue following the growing concerns between Darden and its activist investors.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://investor.darden.com/investors/investor-relations/default.aspx" target="_new"> Darden Restaurants </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
