Darden Restaurants(US:DRI) Prnewswire·2026-03-19 11:00Core Insights - Darden Restaurants reported strong financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2026, with total sales increasing by 5.9% to $3.3 billion, driven by a same-restaurant sales increase of 4.2% and contributions from 31 net new restaurants [3][4]. Financial Performance - Consolidated sales for Q3 2026 reached $3,345.3 million, compared to $3,158.0 million in Q3 2025, marking a year-over-year increase of 5.9% [5]. - Adjusted diluted net earnings per share from continuing operations were $2.95, reflecting a 5.4% increase from the previous year, while reported diluted net earnings per share were $2.68 [4][20]. - The company repurchased approximately 0.7 million shares for a total of $127 million during the quarter, with $516 million remaining under the current $1 billion repurchase authorization [9]. Segment Performance - Olive Garden reported sales of $1,393.0 million, up from $1,330.3 million, while LongHorn Steakhouse saw sales increase to $854.2 million from $768.1 million [5][6]. - The Fine Dining segment generated $402.0 million in sales, up from $385.3 million, and the Other Business segment, which includes Chuy's, reported $696.1 million, an increase from $674.3 million [5][6]. Dividend and Financial Outlook - The Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.50 per share, payable on May 1, 2026, to shareholders of record as of April 10, 2026 [8]. - The company updated its full-year financial outlook for fiscal 2026, projecting adjusted diluted net earnings per share from continuing operations to be between $10.57 and $10.67, which includes approximately $0.25 related to the addition of a 53rd week [10][21].