Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 10.500-10.700 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 10.590. The company issued revenue guidance of -, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $13.1 billion.

Darden Restaurants Stock Performance

DRI opened at $189.41 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.40. Darden Restaurants has a 52-week low of $159.67 and a 52-week high of $228.27. The firm has a market cap of $22.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s fifty day moving average is $179.97 and its 200-day moving average is $198.17.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 52.35% and a net margin of 8.90%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.75 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Darden Restaurants will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on DRI shares. Citigroup decreased their price target on Darden Restaurants from $239.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. 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 report on Tuesday, September 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Darden Restaurants from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, October 20th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $223.39.

Insider Transactions at Darden Restaurants

In other news, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.40, for a total transaction of $1,094,837.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 13,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,691,354.40. This trade represents a 28.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Darden Restaurants

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Glenview Trust co boosted its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 1,308 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 4.6% in the second quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,467 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Visionary Wealth Advisors lifted its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 5.0% in the second quarter. Visionary Wealth Advisors now owns 1,565 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $341,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Cresset Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Darden Restaurants by 3.2% during the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 2,424 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $529,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 3,004 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $655,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. 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.