DRI
Darden Restaurants, Inc.
September 25, 2026 · pre-market
- Rarity
- 1.26
- Peak move
- −4.36%
- Float cap
- $23.6B
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.
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What we found
15 events · 4 from SEC or newswire · 0 timed with the moveanalyst_ratingCitigroup lowered its price target on Darden to $247 from $248 while maintaining a Buy rating after the fiscal Q1 results.
analyst_ratingBernstein SocGen Group analyst Danilo Gargiulo reiterated an Outperform rating and $230 price target on Darden Restaurants, and Citi maintained a Buy rating with a $247 target, after the fiscal Q1 2027 results.
shareholder_voteDarden shareholders elected nine directors, approved executive compensation on an advisory basis, ratified KPMG LLP as auditor for fiscal 2027, and rejected a shareholder proposal on low director support at the September 23, 2026 annual meeting.
SEC8-K 0000940944-26-000035Webes.investing.comdividend_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.combuybackDarden 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.comanalyst_ratingMizuho analyst Nick Setyan raised his price target on Darden to $245 from $235 while maintaining an Outperform rating after the fiscal Q1 results.
- Key event
guidance_changeDarden reaffirmed its fiscal 2027 outlook, keeping diluted net EPS from continuing operations at $11.10 to $11.35, revenue of $13.60 to $13.75 billion, and same-restaurant sales growth of 2.5% to 3.5%.
- Key event
executive_remarkOn Darden's Q1 earnings call, CFO Raj Vennam said consumer lettuce concerns and the World Cup delivered a 150-200 basis point negative hit to Olive Garden same-restaurant sales, and lighter-portion menu choices were a 50 bps mix headwind.
- Key event
executive_remarkOn Darden's Q1 2027 earnings call, CEO Rick Cardenas said consumers remain resilient and are still spending in casual dining, and CFO Raj Vennam said Olive Garden's pricing flow-through is running above 90%.
analyst_ratingTD Cowen reiterated a Hold rating on Darden Restaurants with a $215 price target on September 24, 2026, following the company's fiscal Q1 2027 earnings.
analyst_ratingKeyCorp reiterated its Overweight rating on Darden Restaurants on September 23, 2026, ahead of the company's fiscal Q1 2027 earnings report.
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.
public_healthA cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms sickened thousands nationwide from July 2026 and prompted consumer lettuce avoidance that Darden said cut Olive Garden same-restaurant sales by 150-200 basis points in its quarter.
peer_disclosureYum Brands said Taco Bell's U.S. same-store sales were down 2% quarter-to-date in the July-September period versus a 7% gain in April-June due to consumer concerns over the cyclospora lettuce outbreak, with sales bottoming the weekend of July 18-19 and recovering halfway.
commodity_eventLettuce prices rose sharply in the first half of 2026 on hot Arizona weather, with the retail price of a pound of iceberg lettuce up nearly 20% between January and June and consumers paying an average 33% more year-over-year for all fresh lettuce in July, per USDA data.