Darden Restaurants (DRI) Expected to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) is expected to be issuing its Q2 2026 results before the market opens on Thursday, December 18th. Analysts expect Darden Restaurants to post earnings of $2.10 per share and revenue of $3.0714 billion for the quarter. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. Investors can check the company’s upcoming Q2 2026 earning summary page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 at 8:30 AM ET.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, September 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.01 by ($0.04). Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 52.35% and a net margin of 8.90%.The company had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.75 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect Darden Restaurants to post $10 EPS for the current fiscal year and $11 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Darden Restaurants Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:DRI opened at $179.18 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Darden Restaurants has a 12-month low of $159.67 and a 12-month high of $228.27. The business has a 50 day moving average of $180.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $199.10. The company has a market capitalization of $20.84 billion, a PE ratio of 19.20, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.66.

Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, October 10th were paid a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 10th. Darden Restaurants’s payout ratio is currently 64.31%.

Insider Activity at Darden Restaurants

In other news, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 13,916 shares in the company, valued at $2,691,354.40. This trade represents a 28.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.49% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Darden Restaurants

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in DRI. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in Darden Restaurants in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants in the third quarter valued at about $48,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants in the second quarter worth about $75,000. Brown Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in Darden Restaurants during the second quarter worth about $200,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Darden Restaurants by 15.4% during the second quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 1,091 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $238,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DRI has been the topic of several analyst reports. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $240.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Raymond James Financial dropped their target price on Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 19th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and issued a $235.00 price target on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on Darden Restaurants from $239.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Darden Restaurants has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $224.36.

Darden Restaurants Company Profile

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.