Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) Issues FY 2027 Earnings Guidance

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) updated its FY 2027 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided EPS guidance of 11.100-11.350 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 11.280. The company issued revenue guidance of -, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $13.7 billion.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DRI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Friday. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. Bank of America increased their price target on Darden Restaurants from $272.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Darden Restaurants from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 17th. Finally, Evercore cut Darden Restaurants from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and set a $230.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $232.38.

Darden Restaurants Price Performance

DRI stock opened at $199.42 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Darden Restaurants has a 12 month low of $169.00 and a 12 month high of $229.76. The firm has a market cap of $22.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.60. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $212.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $204.72.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The restaurant operator reported $2.05 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05. Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.85% and a return on equity of 58.64%. The company had revenue of $3.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.21 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.97 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.100-11.350 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Darden Restaurants will post 11.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Darden Restaurants’s payout ratio is 62.43%.

Insider Activity at Darden Restaurants

In other Darden Restaurants news, CEO Ricardo Cardenas sold 39,134 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.06, for a total value of $8,181,354.04. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 86,146 shares in the company, valued at $18,009,682.76. The trade was a 31.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Susan M. Connelly sold 9,930 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.21, for a total value of $2,047,665.30. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 4,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $858,864.65. The trade was a 70.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 70,185 shares of company stock worth $14,636,984 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.67% of the company’s stock.

Key Darden Restaurants News

Here are the key news stories impacting Darden Restaurants this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal 2027 first-quarter revenue rose 5.1% year over year to $3.20 billion, while blended same-restaurant sales increased 3.1%. LongHorn Steakhouse and Yard House were cited as stronger performers, and management said it continues to gain market share. Darden revenue rises but misses estimates in fiscal first quarter
• Positive Sentiment: Darden reaffirmed fiscal 2027 adjusted EPS guidance of $11.10–$11.35 and maintained its broader full-year outlook. The company also highlighted plans for 13 new Yard House locations, supporting its longer-term growth strategy. Darden reaffirms fiscal 2027 guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Darden declared a quarterly dividend of $1.62 per share, equal to $6.48 annually and an approximately 3.1% yield. Analysts at Mizuho, Bernstein, Guggenheim and BTIG remained constructive, with price targets generally above the current trading level.
• Neutral Sentiment: Shareholders approved the board and maintained the company’s existing governance structure, removing a potential source of uncertainty. Darden shareholders back board and governance status quo
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted EPS of $2.05 was roughly in line with estimates but revenue narrowly missed forecasts of about $3.21 billion. Reported net income declined to approximately $233.4 million from $257.8 million a year earlier as higher food and labor expenses compressed profitability. Darden stock falls as Olive Garden reports slower growth
• Negative Sentiment: Olive Garden, Darden’s largest brand, delivered only 1.1% same-store sales growth, raising concerns about slowing customer traffic and consumer sensitivity in casual dining. Analysts also described the stock as fairly valued, limiting the upside from an otherwise resilient quarter. Darden is winning share but stock is fairly priced

About Darden Restaurants

Darden Restaurants, Inc (NYSE: DRI) is a full-service restaurant company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. It operates and franchises a portfolio of dining brands serving a range of cuisines, price points and occasions, with restaurants primarily located in the United States and select international markets.

Its restaurant portfolio includes Olive Garden, an Italian-American dining chain; LongHorn Steakhouse; Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen; Yard House; The Capital Grille; Seasons 52; Bahama Breeze; Eddie V’s; Ruth’s Chris Steak House; and Chuy’s.