DRI
Darden Restaurants, Inc.
September 24, 2026 · pre-market
- Rarity
- 2.02
- Peak move
- −6.66%
- Float cap
- $24.3B
Darden Restaurants, Inc. is a full-service restaurant company that owns and operates over 2,200 U.S. restaurants, primarily under Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, and several other dining brands. It also franchises or contractually manages additional locations and derives sales mainly from food and beverage offerings to restaurant guests.
Where do you see this going?
no votes yetVoting closed at 4:00 PM ET.
What we found
12 events · 3 from SEC or newswire · 2 timed with the move- Timed with the move
dividend_changeDarden's board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.62 per share, payable November 2, 2026 to shareholders of record October 9, 2026.
SEC8-K 0000940944-26-000032Webdigital-release.kxan.comWebmarketscreener.comWebprnewswire.comWebinvesting.comWebnasdaq.com - Timed with the move
buybackDarden repurchased approximately 1.1 million shares for $222.3 million during the fiscal 2027 first quarter.
SEC8-K 0000940944-26-000032Webdigital-release.kxan.comWebmarketscreener.comWebprnewswire.comWebinvesting.comWebbarchart.com commodity_eventUS beef prices hit two-year-plus highs, with the national beef price at 75.73 yuan/kg in the second week of September, up 7.2% year over year, and ground beef averaging over $7.15/lb in August, as the US cattle herd sits at multi-decade lows and Mexican beef imports were halted over disease concerns.
- Key event
commodity_eventUSDA data show average retail beef prices have climbed to $9.64 per pound, up 13% year over year, while wholesale beef prices are up more than 57% since 2020 and the US cattle herd fell to 86.2 million head, its lowest since 1951, with USDA projecting beef and veal prices to rise 9.8% in 2026.
- Key event
bankruptcyMeritage Hospitality Group, one of the largest Wendy's franchise operators with 314 restaurants across 15 states, filed voluntary Chapter 11 on September 17, 2026, citing an 18.9% increase in its average beef cost, a $31.5 million net loss in 2025 and a 48% plunge in store-level EBITDA.
- Key event
operating_metricsBank of America card data showed Darden's aggregate observed sales growth accelerating to 8.3% in August from 4.1% in July, with LongHorn at 13.8% and Olive Garden at 6.7%, while casual-dining spending growth slowed to 1.7% from 2.6%.
analyst_ratingKeyCorp reiterated its Overweight rating on Darden Restaurants on September 23, 2026, ahead of the company's fiscal Q1 2027 earnings report.
commodity_eventWholesale beef costs surging roughly 40% over two years forced Texas barbecue restaurants including Butter's BBQ in Sinton and the Burnt Bean Company in Seguin to pull brisket and beef ribs from menus.
analyst_ratingKeyBanc reiterated an Overweight or Buy rating and $237 price target on Darden Restaurants on September 22-23, 2026, cutting its Olive Garden same-store sales estimate to 1.3% from 2.0%.
commodity_eventRestaurants nationwide are shrinking burger patties and swapping premium cuts such as ribeye for cheaper sirloin alternatives, with wholesale boneless ribeye averaging just above $33.00/lb in the week ended September 11 versus about $15.40/lb for flank, per USDA data.
earnings_releaseDarden Restaurants reported fiscal 2027 first-quarter results on September 24, 2026, with sales of $3.2 billion, up 5.1%, diluted net EPS from continuing operations of $2.05, and blended same-restaurant sales up 3.1%, against analyst expectations of $2.05 EPS on $3.21 billion revenue.
shareholder_voteDarden Restaurants held its 2026 annual meeting of shareholders on September 23, 2026, voting on electing nine directors, advisory say-on-pay, ratifying KPMG as auditor for FY ending May 30, 2027, and a contested shareholder proposal from The Accountability Board seeking board review and disclosure when a director wins under 80% support.