Q3 EPS Estimate for Darden Restaurants Lifted by Analyst

Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q3 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Darden Restaurants in a research note issued on Thursday, January 2nd. Zacks Research analyst M. Kaushik now anticipates that the restaurant operator will post earnings of $2.82 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $2.80. The consensus estimate for Darden Restaurants’ current full-year earnings is $9.47 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Darden Restaurants’ Q2 2026 earnings at $2.12 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.97 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $3.32 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $10.32 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $11.27 EPS.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The restaurant operator reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03. The company had revenue of $2.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.87 billion. Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 9.11% and a return on equity of 49.46%. The company’s revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.84 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on DRI. Barclays raised their price target on Darden Restaurants from $192.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Stephens raised their target price on Darden Restaurants from $164.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Darden Restaurants from $159.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $193.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $200.00 target price (up previously from $182.00) on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Friday, December 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.44.

Darden Restaurants Price Performance

Shares of DRI stock opened at $183.69 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $172.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $160.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.35. Darden Restaurants has a 52-week low of $135.87 and a 52-week high of $189.18. The stock has a market cap of $21.58 billion, a PE ratio of 21.19, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.31.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 10th will be paid a $1.40 dividend. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. Darden Restaurants’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.15%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Rajesh Vennam sold 7,228 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.71, for a total value of $1,313,399.88. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,262 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,864,708.02. This represents a 41.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Darden Restaurants

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of DRI. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Darden Restaurants in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 1,690.9% during the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 197 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 395.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 297 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the 3rd quarter valued at $72,000. 93.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Darden Restaurants

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.