Q3 EPS Forecast for Darden Restaurants Lifted by Analyst

Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q3 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Darden Restaurants in a report issued on Thursday, January 2nd. Zacks Research analyst M. Kaushik now anticipates that the restaurant operator will earn $2.82 per share for the quarter, up from their previous 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The restaurant operator reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.03. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 49.46% and a net margin of 9.11%. The firm had revenue of $2.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.84 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis.

DRI has been the subject of several other reports. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $209.00 to $206.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wedbush upped their target price on Darden Restaurants from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Darden Restaurants from $180.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $195.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Darden Restaurants currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $189.12.

Darden Restaurants Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DRI opened at $184.60 on Monday. Darden Restaurants has a one year low of $135.87 and a one year high of $189.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The company has a market cap of $21.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.29, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.31. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $172.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $160.41.

Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 10th will be issued a $1.40 dividend. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. Darden Restaurants’s payout ratio is 64.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Darden Restaurants news, CFO Rajesh Vennam sold 7,228 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Darden Restaurants

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Darden Restaurants during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its position in Darden Restaurants by 1,690.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 197 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its stake in Darden Restaurants by 395.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 297 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in Darden Restaurants during the 3rd quarter worth $72,000. Institutional investors own 93.64% of the company’s stock.

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.