Darden Restaurants, Inc. · DRI · FY2025 Q1 · Calendar Q3 2024

Darden Holds Guidance as Traffic Softens and New Initiatives Advance

The supplied analysis supports a mixed but resilient picture: strong margins, menu and value initiatives, and operational execution provide support, while softer same-restaurant sales and integration and delivery uncertainties limit confidence in a stronger near-term trajectory.

Reported Before market openNYSEConsumer Cyclical $24.13B market cap
100quality score

Earnings scorecard

Reported versus consensus
Reported EPS $1.75 Consensus $1.83
EPS surprise -4.4% Reported versus consensus
Reported revenue $2.76B Consensus $2.80B
Revenue surprise -1.5% Reported versus consensus

Market reaction

prior-close to event-session close
Stock move +8.3% Event window
SPY move +1.7% Same window
Abnormal move +6.5% Stock minus SPY
Volume 3.4× Versus trailing sessions
Subsequent drift -4.6% Up to 20 sessions
DRISPY benchmark

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Transcript intelligence

What changed

Compared with the prior-quarter analysis, the current quarter adds softer same-restaurant sales, a first-party Uber Direct delivery pilot, and progress toward the Chuy's acquisition while retaining a focus on menu innovation, remodels, and restaurant development.

Guidance delta

Maintained; management reaffirmed its outlook in the supplied analysis.

Key takeaways

  • Current-quarter sales were modestly higher year over year, while same-restaurant sales declined; management said Darden outperformed the industry.
  • Menu innovation, value promotions, and operational speed remain central traffic initiatives across the major brands.
  • Olive Garden's Uber Direct pilot and the planned Chuy's acquisition add execution opportunities and risks.

Management priorities

  • Drive traffic through menu refreshes, limited-time offers, and value-oriented promotions.
  • Expand the Uber Direct rollout while assessing its incremental economics.
  • Execute restaurant openings, remodels, throughput improvements, and the Chuy's integration.

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Earnings History

Estimate Beat Miss Match
DRI EPS earnings history estimate and actual scatter chart 9 reported fiscal quarters and 4 future estimate-only quarters. Q3 '24 estimate $2.62 Q3 '24 actual $2.62, match Q4 '24 estimate $2.61 Q4 '24 actual $2.65, beat Q1 '25 estimate $1.83 Q1 '25 actual $1.75, miss Q4 '25 estimate $2.97 Q4 '25 actual $2.98, match Q1 '26 estimate $2.00 Q1 '26 actual $1.97, miss Q2 '26 estimate $2.10 Q2 '26 actual $2.08, miss Q3 '26 estimate $2.94 Q3 '26 actual $2.95, match Q4 '26 estimate $3.63 Q4 '26 actual $3.66, beat Q1 '27 estimate $2.05 Q2 '27 estimate $2.26 Q3 '27 estimate $3.27 Q4 '27 estimate $3.68
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Analyst Consensus ?

ConsensusBuy59 ratings
Bullish3864.4%
Neutral2033.9%
Bearish11.7%

Analyst 52W Price Targets

$213.25Previous close
$95Low
$198.28Average
$265High

Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted previous close from FN2's market snapshot as of Oct 27, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.

Firm-level rating actions

FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.

FirmRatingPrior ratingActionDate
Stephens & Co. Equal Weight Equal WeightMaintainSep 25, 2026
Mizuho Outperform OutperformMaintainSep 25, 2026
Guggenheim Buy BuyMaintainSep 25, 2026
Freedom Capital Markets Buy BuyMaintainSep 25, 2026
Citigroup Buy BuyMaintainSep 25, 2026
Show 54 more rating actions

Named analyst price targets

Upside is calculated against the persisted previous close $213.25. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.

FirmAnalyst52W targetPrice when postedUpsideDate
BernsteinDanilo Gargiulo$230$206.12 +7.9%Sep 25, 2026
Mizuho SecuritiesNick Setyan$245$207.44 +14.9%Sep 25, 2026
Seaport GlobalEric Gonzalez$240$209.02 +12.5%Sep 16, 2026
OppenheimerAnalyst unavailable$245$218.61 +14.9%Sep 15, 2026
Morgan StanleyAnalyst unavailable$255$209.82 +19.6%Sep 14, 2026
See 138 more

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Company context

Snapshot as of publication

Darden Restaurants, Inc., through its various subsidiaries, focuses on the ownership and operation of full-service dining establishments across both the United States and Canada. As of May 29, 2022, the company's extensive portfolio comprised 1,867 directly managed restaurants. These included a significant presence from its flagship brands: 884 Olive Garden outlets, 546 LongHorn Steakhouse locations, 172 Cheddar's Scratch Kitchens, 85 Yard House venues, 62 Capital Grille branches, 45 Seasons 52 restaurants, 42 Bahama Breeze sites, 28 Eddie V's Prime Seafood establishments, and 3 Capital Burger eateries. In addition to its owned operations, Darden also oversees 60 franchised restaurants, specifically 35 Olive Garden units, 18 LongHorn Steakhouse units, 4 Cheddar's Scratch Kitchens, 2 Capital Grille locations, and 1 Bahama Breeze restaurant. The company, which originated in 1968, is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

Historical context

All DRI earnings

Consumer Cyclical peers this season

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DECK Deckers Outdoor Corporation FY2027 Q2 · Calendar Q4 2026 +13.4% -0.2% Deckers raises FY2027 outlook as HOKA and UGG drive growth
TSCO Tractor Supply Company FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 +5.3% +6.2% Tractor Supply Q3: Pet and Digital Momentum Supports Margin Plan
PHM PulteGroup, Inc. FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 -4.5% +5.8% PulteGroup Holds Guidance as Buyer Traffic Slows

Latest beats and misses

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Sources

  1. Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-05-11T10:29:34.698584+00:00
  2. FN2 earnings calendar · 2024-10-17T05:10:49.140638+00:00
  3. Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-10-27T07:40:42.449535+00:00
  4. Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-10-27T07:40:42.446819+00:00

Methodology

Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.

Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.

Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.

By FN2 Research · Updated · As of 2026-10-27. For educational purposes only; not investment advice.