Darden Restaurants
Operator of Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, and seven other full-service restaurant brands.
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Profile
Operates a portfolio of full-service dining brands led by Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, earning most revenue from food and beverage sales at company-owned U.S. restaurants. Franchising and consumer products remain smaller businesses.
Operates a largely company-owned U.S. portfolio spanning casual and fine dining. Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse are the largest businesses; Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Chuy’s, Yard House, Seasons 52, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, The Capital Grille, and Eddie V’s broaden the menu, price point, and dining-occasion mix.
Earns most revenue from food and beverage sales in its restaurants, with smaller franchise and consumer-product streams. Its operating model emphasizes culinary execution, attentive service, and inviting restaurants across distinct brands. Results depend on guest traffic, labor availability and cost, food sourcing, new-site execution, and changing consumer preferences. Bahama Breeze is being closed or converted into other brands, while Olive Garden and LongHorn together account for most sales.
Company facts
Categories
Key statistics
Year to date +15.2% · Average volume (30d) 1.1M
Analysts
Ratings
Target range
Latest analyst notes
| Date | Firm | Action | Prior rating | Rating | Prior target | Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27, 2026 | KeyBanc | Reiterate | Overweight | $228 | $237 | |
| Aug 24, 2026 | Robert W. Baird | Target | $220 | $250 | ||
| Aug 24, 2026 | Baird | Upgrade | Neutral | Outperform | ||
| Jun 30, 2026 | Argus Research | Reiterate | Buy | $175 | $245 | |
| Jun 26, 2026 | Deutsche Bank | Reiterate | Buy | $159 | $236 |
Earnings
EPS
Revenue
History
| Report date | EPS est | EPS | Surprise | Revenue est | Revenue | Surprise | Next session |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25, 2026Q4 FY26 | $3.63 | $3.66 | +0.8% | $3.73B | $3.72B | −0.3% | +0.45% |
| Mar 19, 2026Q3 FY26 | $2.94 | $2.95 | +0.3% | $3.33B | $3.35B | +0.3% | −0.67% |
| Dec 18, 2025Q2 FY26 | $2.10 | $2.08 | −1.0% | $3.08B | $3.10B | +0.9% | −1.56% |
| Sep 18, 2025Q1 FY26 | $2.00 | $1.97 | −1.5% | $3.04B | $3.04B | +0.1% | −4.16% |
Financial highlights
| 12 quarters | Q3 FY25 | Q4 FY25 | Q1 FY26 | Q2 FY26 | Q3 FY26 | Q4 FY26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $3.16B | $3.27B | $3.04B | $3.10B | $3.35B | $3.72B | |
| Gross profit | $702.3M | $764.8M | $2.12B | $2.14B | $601.2M | $4.32B | |
| Operating income | $418.2M | $382.8M | $339.2M | $320.4M | $440.3M | $482.9M | |
| Net income | $323.4M | $303.8M | $257.8M | $237.2M | $306.8M | $404.9M | |
| Diluted EPS | $2.74 | $2.58 | $2.19 | $2.03 | $2.65 | $3.52 | |
| Gross margin | 22.2% | 23.4% | 69.5% | 68.9% | 18.0% | 116.1% | |
| Operating margin | 13.2% | 11.7% | 11.1% | 10.3% | 13.2% | 13.0% |
Fiscal years (4-quarter sums)FY22 $9.63B · FY23 $10.49B · FY24 $11.39B · FY25 $12.08B · FY26 $13.21B
Revenue by product · Q4 FY26
Balance sheet, May 31, 2026Cash & short-term investments $219.5M · Total debt $6.05B · Total assets $12.86B · Shareholders' equity $2.21B
Dividends
Raised for 5 straight years — most recently to $1.62 from $1.50 in Jul 2026. To collect a payout, hold shares through the close before the ex-date.
History
| Ex-date | Record | Paid | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 2026 | Jul 10 | Aug 3 | $1.62 | raised from $1.50 |
| Apr 10, 2026 | Apr 10 | May 1 | $1.50 | |
| Jan 9, 2026 | Jan 9 | Feb 2 | $1.50 | |
| Oct 10, 2025 | Oct 10 | Nov 3 | $1.50 | |
| Jul 10, 2025 | Jul 10 | Aug 1 | $1.50 | raised from $1.40 |
| Apr 10, 2025 | Apr 10 | May 1 | $1.40 | |
| Jan 10, 2025 | Jan 10 | Feb 3 | $1.40 | |
| Oct 10, 2024 | Oct 10 | Nov 1 | $1.40 |
Ownership
A 13F quarter can total more than the shares outstanding — sub-advisers file the same block twice, and a filer's own share count can be a quarter stale. No split is drawn from it.
Shares outstanding 114.54M · Float 113.72M · 99.3% free float
Top shareholders13F · 13D/G · Form 4
| Holder | Shares | % outstanding | Form | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital World Investors | 15.17M | 13.24% | 13F | Aug 12, 2026 |
| BlackRock, Inc. | 9.78M | 8.54% | 13F | Aug 7, 2026 |
| Vanguard Capital Management LLC | 7.47M | 6.52% | 13F | Aug 13, 2026 |
| Vanguard Portfolio Management LLC | 5.37M | 4.69% | 13F | Aug 13, 2026 |
| State Street Corp | 5.00M | 4.37% | 13F | Aug 7, 2026 |
Insider tradesForm 4
| Date | Insider | Role | Shares | Avg price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 5, 2026 | John W. Wilkerson | officer: President, Olive Garden | −8,864 | $208.33 |
| Jul 31, 2026 | Laura B. Williamson | officer: President, LongHorn Steakhouse | −1,553 | $204.48 |
| Jul 28, 2026 | Ricardo Cardenas | director, officer: President and CEO | −39,134 | $209.06 |
| Jul 29, 2026 | Sarah H. King | officer: SVP, Chief People Officer | −4,373 | $210.42 |
| Jul 29, 2026 | Susan M. Connelly | officer: SVP, Chief Comm & PA Officer | −2,226 | $208.17 |
Peers
- Texas Roadhouse
Largest US casual-dining chain; hand-cut steaks contest LongHorn on value.
- Brinker International
Chili's surging traffic contests Olive Garden and LongHorn in value casual.
- Bloomin' Brands
Outback, Carrabba's, Fleming's contest LongHorn, Olive Garden, Capital Grille.
- The Cheesecake Factory
Top casual AUV in the US; contests Yard House and Seasons 52 on polished dining.
- Dine Brands
Applebee's and IHOP franchisor; contests Olive Garden and Cheddar's value tier.
- BJ's Restaurants
National brewpub-casual; craft beer and broad menu contest Yard House directly.
- Cracker Barrel
Highway family-comfort dining; homestyle overlap with Cheddar's value occasion.
CompareAfter-hours close
| Company | Price | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darden Restaurants | $215.68 | −0.03% | $24.70B | 20.8 | 19.1 | 1.9 | +13.7% |
| Texas Roadhouse | $198.99 | +0.04% | $13.08B | 31.8 | 27.6 | 2.1 | +11.1% |
| Brinker International | $230.19 | −0.04% | $9.87B | 21.2 | 17.3 | 1.7 | +5.1% |
| Bloomin' Brands | $10.52 | −0.66% | $905.8M | 34.1 | 11.4 | 0.2 | +1.3% |
| The Cheesecake Factory | $112.01 | −0.06% | $5.57B | 30.4 | 24.3 | 1.4 | +7.7% |
| Dine Brands | $33.60 | +0.24% | $426.2M | 68.6 | 7.7 | 0.5 | +4.4% |
| BJ's Restaurants | $65.12 | +0.08% | $1.37B | 34.4 | 24.9 | 1.0 | +6.4% |
| Cracker Barrel | $55.70 | −0.02% | $1.24B | 48.1 | 68.5 | 0.4 | −2.9% |
| Median | 34.1 | 24.3 | 1.0 | +5.1% |