These Analysts Revise Their Forecasts On Darden Restaurants After Q4 Results

Core Insights - Darden Restaurants, Inc. reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings results and increased its quarterly dividend [2][3] - Sales grew 6.8% year-over-year to $2.957 billion, although this fell short of the analyst consensus estimate of $2.975 billion [2] - Adjusted EPS of $2.65 exceeded the consensus estimate of $2.62 [2] Financial Performance - Consolidated same-restaurant sales for the quarter remained flat [2] - For FY25, Darden expects EPS from continuing operations to be in the range of $9.40 to $9.60, with sales projected between $11.8 billion and $11.9 billion, compared to the street view of $11.948 billion [3] - The company anticipates same-restaurant sales growth of 1.0% to 2.0% and plans to open 45 to 50 new restaurants [3] Dividend and Stock Performance - Darden's Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.40 per share, representing a 6.9% increase quarter-over-quarter, payable on August 1 [3] - Darden's shares rose 1.5% to close at $154.29 on Thursday [4] Analyst Ratings and Price Targets - Stifel cut its price target on Darden from $190 to $180 while maintaining a Buy rating [5] - B of A Securities raised its price target from $180 to $185, also maintaining a Buy rating [5] - Stephens & Co. reiterated Darden with an Equal-Weight rating and maintained a price target of $165 [5]