Q2 EPS Forecast for Darden Restaurants Lowered by Analyst

Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) – Analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q2 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Darden Restaurants in a report issued on Monday, September 29th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the restaurant operator will post earnings of $2.10 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $2.16. The consensus estimate for Darden Restaurants’ current full-year earnings is $9.52 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Darden Restaurants’ Q3 2026 earnings at $2.97 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $3.49 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.08 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.44 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $3.34 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $3.50 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $11.36 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $2.39 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $12.29 EPS.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on DRI. Bank of America lifted their target price on Darden Restaurants from $253.00 to $254.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Darden Restaurants from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Barclays decreased their target price on Darden Restaurants from $255.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 19th. BTIG Research decreased their target price on Darden Restaurants from $235.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Darden Restaurants from $218.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $225.96.

Darden Restaurants Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of Darden Restaurants stock opened at $192.87 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $22.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.71. Darden Restaurants has a fifty-two week low of $155.18 and a fifty-two week high of $228.27. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $203.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $206.17.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.01 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 52.35%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.75 earnings per share. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS.

Darden Restaurants declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Friday, June 20th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the restaurant operator to reacquire up to 3.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Darden Restaurants’s payout ratio is currently 64.31%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Laura B. Williamson sold 1,157 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.70, for a total transaction of $236,837.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 10,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,176,370.40. The trade was a 9.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders sold 2,013 shares of company stock worth $412,738 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Darden Restaurants

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bowman & Co S.C. lifted its position in Darden Restaurants by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bowman & Co S.C. now owns 9,631 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,099,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 32.2% during the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 201 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,975 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $430,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. GAM Holding AG lifted its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. GAM Holding AG now owns 6,975 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,520,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 15.8% during the 1st quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 381 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Darden Restaurants Company Profile

Darden Restaurants, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates full-service restaurants in the United States and Canada. It operates under Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Yard House, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze, Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, and Capital Burger brand names.