These Analysts Cut Their Forecasts On Darden After Downbeat Q1 Earnings

Group 1 - Darden Restaurants reported first-quarter earnings of $1.97 per share, missing the analyst consensus estimate of $2.00 per share [1] - Quarterly sales were $3.004 billion, which also fell short of the analyst consensus estimate of $3.040 billion [1] - Darden's President & CEO Rick Cardenas noted a strong start to the fiscal year with same-restaurant sales and earnings growth exceeding expectations [1] Group 2 - Darden reaffirmed its fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS guidance at $10.50–$10.70, compared to the $10.68 consensus estimate [2] - The company raised its fiscal 2026 sales outlook to $12.983 billion–$13.104 billion from a previous range of $12.922 billion–$13.043 billion, against the $13.078 billion Street estimate [2] - Following the earnings announcement, Darden shares fell 7.7% to close at $192.74 [2] Group 3 - BTIG analyst Peter Saleh maintained a Buy rating on Darden but lowered the price target from $235 to $225 [7] - TD Cowen analyst Andrew M. Charles maintained a Hold rating and cut the price target from $235 to $200 [7] - Keybanc analyst Eric Gonzalez maintained an Overweight rating while lowering the price target from $240 to $225 [7]