I’m an equity analyst and founder of Goulart’s Restaurant Stocks, a research firm focused on the U.S. restaurant industry — from quick-service and fast casual to fine dining and niche concepts. I lead all thematic research and valuation efforts, applying advanced financial modeling, sector-specific KPIs, and strategic insights to uncover hidden value across public equities. In addition to restaurants, I cover consumer discretionary, food & beverage, casinos & gaming, and IPOs, with a particular focus on mic ...

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) stock is flashing a potential trend-following entry in late December after a sharp 2025 pullback. The core thesis is straightforward: the long-term uptrend looks intact, momentum indicators are turning, and fundamentals—paired with institutional positioning—create a credible path to market-beating total returns in 2026 if the stock clears nearby resistance. It allowed indicators, including the moving average convergence divergence (MACD) and stochastic, to reset, indicating a m ...

18 December 2025 U.S. Consumer Strategy & Quantitative Research U.S. Consumer Strategy; have we reached capitulation yet & should we prepare for a sector rotation? Webinar Transcript Alexia Howard +1 917 344 8453 alexia.howard@bernsteinsg.com Danilo Gargiulo +1 917 344 8475 danilo.gargiulo@bernsteinsg.com Zhihan Ma, CFA +1 917 344 8303 zhihan.ma@bernsteinsg.com Nadine Sarwat, CFA +44 20 7676 6849 nadine.sarwat@bernsteinsg.com Aneesha Sherman +1 917 344 8457 aneesha.sherman@bernsteinsg.com Cinnie Lin +1 917 ...

We recently published 10 Stocks Jim Cramer Talked About.  Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer discussed recently. Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) is an American full-service restaurant company that operates brands such as Olive Garden. The firm reported its second fiscal quarter earnings on Thursday and posted $3.1 billion in revenue and $2.08 in adjusted earnings per share. While Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI)’s revenue beat analyst revenue estimates of $3.07 bill ...

Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) is one of the tech and consumer sector stocks that Jim Cramer talked about. Cramer called it one of the “retail winners,” as he stated: “Retail’s such a huge portion of this economy, it can mask the questionable kinds of transactions we’ve been seeing at the highest level of tech. Consider the retail winners today. There’s Darden, that’s the owner of Olive Garden. It vaulted nearly 2%. Yes, the numbers from Olive Garden look great.” Olive Garden Darden Image: Courtes ...

U.S. stock markets commenced trading on Friday, December 19, 2025, with major indexes opening higher, signaling a positive end to what has been a volatile week. This uplift follows a robust performance on Thursday, driven by cooler-than-expected inflation data for November, which has reignited hopes for potential Federal Reserve rate cuts in the new year. Today's trading is also marked by "quadruple witching," an event that could introduce significant volatility as a record volume of options contracts expir ...

Darden Restaurants has reported sales growth for its fiscal 2026 (FY2026) second quarter (Q2) and lifted its revenue outlook for the full year. The company’s sales totalled $3.1bn in the three months to 23 November, a 7.3% increase from the prior year. Same-store sales grew 4.3%, supported by gains across major brands. Olive Garden, Darden’s largest chain, recorded a 4.7% rise in same-restaurant sales while LongHorn Steakhouse logged a 5.9% rise. The group’s “other business” segment posted same-store ...

Core Insights - Olive Garden's sales indicate a growing consumer demand for value and pasta offerings [1][6] - Darden Restaurants reported a significant increase in quarterly sales, driven by the popularity of its $13.99 "never ending pasta bowl" special [1][6] Sales Performance - Darden posted $3.1 billion in sales for its fiscal second quarter, slightly exceeding analyst expectations [4] - Adjusted earnings per share were $2.08, just 1 cent below estimates, with same restaurant sales increasing by 4.3% across Darden's portfolio [4] - Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse reported same restaurant sales gains of 4.7% and 5.9%, respectively, both surpassing forecasts [4] Consumer Trends - There is a notable trend of middle to higher-income customers seeking better deals at restaurants, as indicated by Olive Garden's increasing customer base [2][3] - The restaurant industry is witnessing signs of consumer strain, with a focus on value offerings becoming more prominent [3] Future Outlook - Darden plans to continue emphasizing value, including the introduction of lower-priced, smaller portion options at Olive Garden [5] - The company raised its full-year revenue outlook for the third consecutive quarter, now expecting sales growth of 8.5% to 9.3% [5] - Darden maintained its adjusted EPS forecast at $10.50 to $10.70 despite warnings that higher prices could impact profits [5]

You can find original article here Nrn. Subscribe to our free daily Nrn newsletters. Darden Restaurants Inc.’s sales exceeded the company’s own expectations for its second  fiscal quarter, ended Nov. 23, as its performance surpassed the overall casual-dining segment in which it operates.  “Each of our segments delivered positive same-restaurant sales,” chief executive officer Rick Cardenas said in a conference call discussing the results on Thursday before market. The parent company of Olive ...

Core Insights - Darden Restaurants, Inc. reported fiscal second-quarter earnings with an EPS of $2.08, slightly missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.09, but showing a modest increase from $2.03 in the same quarter last year [1][5] - The company's revenue reached approximately $3.1 billion, exceeding estimates of $3.07 billion, marking a 7.3% increase from $2.89 billion reported in the same period last year [2][5] - Darden's net income was $237.2 million, or $2.03 per share, up from $215.1 million, or $1.82 per share, the previous year, with same-store sales rising by 4.3%, surpassing Wall Street's expectations of 3% [3][5] Financial Metrics - Darden's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is approximately 20.04, indicating favorable market valuation of its earnings [4] - The price-to-sales ratio stands at about 1.81, and the enterprise value to sales ratio is roughly 2.30, reflecting investor confidence in its revenue and overall valuation [4] - The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of about 3.08, indicating significant reliance on debt financing, while a current ratio of approximately 0.39 highlights short-term liquidity challenges [4]