Core Insights - Darden Restaurants exceeded Wall Street's earnings and revenue expectations, predicting solid growth for fiscal year 2026 [1][2] - The company's stock rose over 2% in premarket trading following the earnings report [1] Financial Performance - Darden reported fiscal fourth-quarter net income of $303.8 million, or $2.58 per share, compared to $308.1 million, or $2.58 per share, a year earlier [1] - Excluding costs from the Chuy's Tex Mex acquisition, adjusted earnings were $2.98 per share for the fiscal fourth quarter [2] - Net sales increased by 10.6% to $3.3 billion, driven by the acquisition of 103 Chuy's restaurants and 25 net new restaurants [2] - Same-store sales rose 4.6%, surpassing StreetAccount estimates of 3.5% [2] Future Outlook - For fiscal year 2026, Darden forecasts revenue growth of 7% to 8%, including approximately 2% growth from an extra week in the year [3] - Adjusted earnings are expected to be in the range of $10.50 to $10.70 per share, including 20 cents related to the additional week [3] Brand Performance - Olive Garden, accounting for roughly 40% of Darden's quarterly revenue, reported same-store sales growth of 6.9%, exceeding expectations of 4.6% [5] - LongHorn Steakhouse's same-store sales increased by 6.7%, beating the anticipated growth of 5.3% [5] - The fine dining segment, including Ruth's Chris Steak House and The Capital Grille, experienced a same-store sales decline of 3.3%, compared to the expected decline of 0.2% [6] - The remaining segment, which includes Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen and Yard House, saw same-store sales growth of 1.2%, slightly above estimates of 1.1% [6] Strategic Initiatives - Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen is piloting on-demand delivery through a partnership with Uber Direct in 10 of its restaurants [7] - Darden's board of directors authorized a $1 billion share repurchase program, replacing the previous authorization [7] Stock Performance - Darden Restaurants' stock has increased approximately 19% year-to-date [8]

In its upcoming report, Darden Restaurants (DRI) is predicted by Wall Street analysts to post quarterly earnings of $2.93 per share, reflecting an increase of 10.6% compared to the same period last year. Revenues are forecasted to be $3.26 billion, representing a year-over-year increase of 10.3%.The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.3% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. This reflects how the analysts covering the stock have collectively reevaluated their initial estima ...

ORLANDO, Fla., May 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Darden Restaurants, Inc., (NYSE: DRI) plans to release its fiscal 2025 fourth quarter financial results before the market opens on Friday, June 20, 2025, with a conference call to follow at 8:30 am ET. Rick Cardenas, CEO, and other senior management will discuss fourth quarter results and conduct a question and answer session. For those who cannot listen to the live broadcast, a replay will be available shortly after the call. What:                    Darden Re ...