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

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $238.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $208.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Argus decreased their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $260.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 19th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $253.00 to $254.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Darden Restaurants from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Darden Restaurants currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $223.39.

Darden Restaurants Stock Performance

Shares of DRI opened at $189.41 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $179.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $198.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.40. The company has a market capitalization of $22.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.30, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.66. Darden Restaurants has a 1 year low of $159.67 and a 1 year high of $228.27.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last released its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 52.35%. Darden Restaurants’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.75 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Darden Restaurants will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Darden Restaurants news, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.40, for a total value of $1,094,837.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 13,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,691,354.40. This trade represents a 28.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DRI. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the third quarter worth about $3,074,000. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Darden Restaurants by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,412 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $650,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $11,543,000. Advisory Services Network LLC raised its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 25.5% in the 3rd quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 18,029 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,432,000 after purchasing an additional 3,667 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OmniStar Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $534,000. 93.64% of the stock is 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.