Darden Restaurants (DRI) Q1 Earnings Preview: What You Should Know Beyond the Headline Estimates

Core Viewpoint - Darden Restaurants (DRI) is expected to report quarterly earnings of $1.99 per share, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 13.7%, with revenues projected at $3.04 billion, up 10.2% from the previous year [1] Earnings Projections - The consensus EPS estimate has been revised downward by 0.3% in the last 30 days, indicating a reassessment by analysts [1][2] - Changes in earnings projections are crucial for predicting investor reactions and short-term stock price movements [2] Sales Estimates - Analysts estimate 'Sales- Olive Garden' to reach $1.31 billion, indicating a year-over-year change of +7.9% [3] - 'Sales- Other Business' is projected at $665.09 million, reflecting a year-over-year increase of +19.7% [4] - 'Sales- Fine Dining' is expected to be $290.21 million, showing a +4.1% change from the prior year [4] - 'Sales- LongHorn Steakhouse' is estimated at $783.54 million, indicating a +9.8% change from the previous year [4] Company-Owned Restaurants - Total company-owned restaurants are expected to reach 2,167, up from 2,040 a year ago [5] - Same-restaurant sales for LongHorn Steakhouse are projected to increase by 5.8%, compared to 3.7% in the previous year [5] - Company-owned restaurants for LongHorn Steakhouse are estimated at 594, up from 577 in the same quarter last year [5] - Olive Garden's company-owned restaurants are expected to be 936, compared to 923 a year ago [6] - Ruth's Chris Steak House is projected at 83, up from 82 last year [6] - Bahama Breeze is expected to have 28 company-owned restaurants, down from 44 in the previous year [6] - Seasons 52 is projected at 43, compared to 44 last year [7] - Eddie V's is expected to remain at 29, unchanged from the previous year [7] Stock Performance - Darden Restaurants shares have increased by +2.5% in the past month, slightly outperforming the +2.3% move of the Zacks S&P 500 composite [8] - The company holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), indicating it is expected to mirror overall market performance in the near future [8]