Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.02 EPS

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The restaurant operator reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.10 by ($0.02), Briefing.com reports. Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 52.35%. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. The company's revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Darden Restaurants updated its FY 2026 guidance to 10.500-10.700 EPS.Get Darden Restaurants alerts:Darden Restaurants Stock Up 2.1%Higher Beef Prices Are Here: Best Steakhouse Stocks for 2026Shares of NYSE DRI opened at $189.41 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $22.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.30, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Darden Restaurants has a 52-week low of $159.67 and a 52-week high of $228.27. The business's 50 day moving average is $179.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $198.17. Insider Activity at Darden RestaurantsIn other news, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 13,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,691,354.40. The trade was a 28.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Darden RestaurantsBeware the Death Cross: 3 Stocks Triggering This Spooky SignalA number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Glenview Trust co grew its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 4.9% in the second quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 1,308 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,467 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $320,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Visionary Wealth Advisors boosted its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Visionary Wealth Advisors now owns 1,565 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $341,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Darden Restaurants by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 2,424 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $529,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 3,004 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $655,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Analyst Upgrades and DowngradesDRI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Darden Restaurants from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $225.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, October 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $239.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 19th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Guggenheim cut their target price on Darden Restaurants from $235.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, KeyCorp decreased their price target on Darden Restaurants from $240.00 to $225.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $223.39.Sprouts, Darden Offer High-Upside Setups for Risk-TakersRead Our Latest Stock Report on Darden RestaurantsAbout Darden Restaurants (Get Free Report)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.Further ReadingFive stocks we like better than Darden RestaurantsBusiness Services Stocks InvestingCannabis Stocks Up for Reversal: Pipedreams or Opportunity?Low PE Growth Stocks: Unlocking Investment OpportunitiesRate Cuts Make These 3 Income ETFs More Attractive Than EverWhat is the Nikkei 225 index? Post 35% Surge, Analysts Eye More Upside in Copper Giant FreeportThis instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.Should You Invest $1,000 in Darden Restaurants Right Now?Before you consider Darden Restaurants, you'll want to hear this.MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Darden Restaurants wasn't on the list.While Darden Restaurants currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.View The Five Stocks Here