Darden Restaurants: A Quarter of Contrasts

Darden Restaurants’ latest quarterly report presents investors with a complex picture. While the company raised its full-year outlook and announced a strategic international move, it also delivered a slight earnings miss and faced analyst downgrades, all against a backdrop of notable insider selling. The central question for shareholders is whether robust sales and confident guidance can outweigh near-term cost pressures.

For its second fiscal quarter of 2026, Darden posted revenue of $3.10 billion, surpassing market expectations of $3.07 billion. However, its adjusted diluted earnings per share came in at $2.08, narrowly missing the consensus estimate of $2.10. Despite this mixed result, management demonstrated confidence by raising its fiscal 2026 guidance. The company now projects full-year adjusted EPS Read more...