Aug 2026 (Q1 FY27) — Sep 24, 2026
Darden Q1 FY27 — Solid Start with Portfolio Strength and Reaffirmed Guidance
Read the full callDarden (DRI) earnings
- Aug 2026
- Aug 2026 (Q1 FY27)
- May 2026
Darden earnings: last reported Thu, 24 Sep 2026, for the quarter ended Aug 2026.
Reported
The figures, each with its period
Each figure keeps its basis and period; nothing is filled in.
| Metric | Value | Change | Basis | Period | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 3,200 | +5.1% YoY | Quarterly, as filed | Quarter to Aug 2026 | Revenue from operations as filed. |
| Operating margin | 10.0 | −1.2 pts YoY | Operating profit / revenue | Quarter to Aug 2026 | For the quarter; a change is in percentage points. |
| Net profit | 233 | −9.5% YoY | Quarterly, as filed | Quarter to Aug 2026 | Profit after tax as filed. |
Guidance
What management said, and what became of it
13 of 14 judged targets kept · 14 open · verdicts reflect calls analysed to May 2026.
| Target | Original wording | Said | Latest call | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY26 adjusted diluted EPS from continuing operations (full-year guidance) | $10.50 to $10.70 | May 2025 | Adjusted diluted net earnings per share from continuing operations increased 11.4% and to $10.64. | Achieved |
| FY27 capital spending (full-year guidance) | approximately $850 million | Feb 2026 | Capital spending of approximately $875 million | Revised Down |
| Chuy's acquisition run-rate synergies | approximately $17 million run-rate, ~$2 million realized in FY25 and the balance in FY26 | Nov 2024 | Pending |
1 of DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC's 28 targets was missed. See which ones, and which are quietly gone. The 3 above are the free sample; 25 more targets are in the full ledger.
Claimed
- Total sales increased 5.1% to $3.2 billion, meeting expectations.
- Diluted net earnings per share from continuing operations grew 4.1% to $2.05.
- All segments delivered positive same-restaurant sales, with Darden's comparable calendar SSS up 3.2%.
- LongHorn Steakhouse achieved 6.8% same-restaurant sales growth, marking its 22nd consecutive quarter of positive SSS.
- Yard House delivered impressive 10% same-restaurant sales growth and reached $1 billion in sales for the trailing 52 weeks.
Qualified
- The World Cup negatively impacted Darden's same-restaurant sales by approximately 80 basis points.
- Olive Garden's same-restaurant guest counts were negatively impacted by 150 to 200 basis points due to the World Cup and consumer concerns about lettuce.
- The lighter portion section of the Olive Garden menu created a 50 basis point mix headwind to the check.
- Fine Dining segment profit margin was 50 basis points lower than last year.
- Other Business segment profit margin was 30 basis points lower than last year, driven by costs associated with winding down Bahama Breeze.
Price
$216.24 −0.05% · −$0.11
Performance +14.9% 1Y
1Y: $188.19 on 17 Oct 2025 → $216.24. High $227.68 (12 Aug 2026), low $169.21 (20 Nov 2025).
- Previous close
- $216.35
- 52-week range
- $169.21 – $227.68
- One year
- +15.07%
Overview
- Symbol
- DRI
- Sector
- Consumer Discretionary
- Exchange
- US
- Currency
- USD
Guidance
What management said, and what became of it
13 of 14 judged targets kept · 14 open · verdicts reflect calls analysed to May 2026.
| Target | Original wording | Said | Latest call | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY26 adjusted diluted EPS from continuing operations (full-year guidance) | $10.50 to $10.70 | May 2025 | Adjusted diluted net earnings per share from continuing operations increased 11.4% and to $10.64. | Achieved |
| FY27 capital spending (full-year guidance) | approximately $850 million | Feb 2026 | Capital spending of approximately $875 million | Revised Down |
| Chuy's acquisition run-rate synergies | approximately $17 million run-rate, ~$2 million realized in FY25 and the balance in FY26 | Nov 2024 | Pending |
Claimed
- Total sales increased 5.1% to $3.2 billion, meeting expectations.
- Diluted net earnings per share from continuing operations grew 4.1% to $2.05.
- All segments delivered positive same-restaurant sales, with Darden's comparable calendar SSS up 3.2%.
- LongHorn Steakhouse achieved 6.8% same-restaurant sales growth, marking its 22nd consecutive quarter of positive SSS.
- Yard House delivered impressive 10% same-restaurant sales growth and reached $1 billion in sales for the trailing 52 weeks.
Qualified
- The World Cup negatively impacted Darden's same-restaurant sales by approximately 80 basis points.
- Olive Garden's same-restaurant guest counts were negatively impacted by 150 to 200 basis points due to the World Cup and consumer concerns about lettuce.
- The lighter portion section of the Olive Garden menu created a 50 basis point mix headwind to the check.
- Fine Dining segment profit margin was 50 basis points lower than last year.
- Other Business segment profit margin was 30 basis points lower than last year, driven by costs associated with winding down Bahama Breeze.
The full ledger
Open DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC’s full ledger
A free account opens 5 company ledgers a month. All 28 tracked commitments, with each call’s wording and source.
Call summaries
May 2026 (Q4 FY26) — Jun 25, 2026
Darden Restaurants Q4 FY26 — Strong finish with 4.6% same-restaurant sales and industry outperformance
Read the full callFeb 2026 (Q3 FY26) — Mar 19, 2026
Darden Q3 FY26 — Strong Sales Growth and Widening Industry Outperformance
Read the full callNews
Latest news
From the news desk, item by item, hours after each call.
Every analysed call
Darden earnings calls (DRI)
Financials
What the filings say
Net profit, year on year: −9% (quarter to aug 2026 against aug 2025).
| Line item | Nov 2024 | Feb 2025 | May 2025 | Aug 2025 | Nov 2025 | Feb 2026 | May 2026 | Aug 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 2,890 | 3,158 | 3,272 | 3,045 | 3,102 | 3,345 | 3,719 | 3,200 |
| Expenses | 2,598 | 2,740 | 2,889 | 2,706 | 2,782 | 2,939 | 3,202 | 2,881 |
| Operating profit | 292 | 418 | 383 | 339 | 320 | 406 | 517 | 319 |
| Operating margin | 10.1% | 13.2% | 11.7% | 11.1% | 10.3% | 12.2% | 13.9% | 10.0% |
| Profit before tax | 246 | 373 | 337 | 294 | 272 | 357 | 466 | 269 |
| Tax rate | 12.3% | 13.2% | 9.7% | 12.2% | 12.8% | 12.9% | 12.4% | 12.9% |
| Net profit | 215 | 323 | 304 | 258 | 237 | 307 | 405 | 233 |
| EPS ($ per share) | 1.83 | 2.76 | — | 2.21 | 2.05 | 2.67 | — | 2.05 |
| Line item | May 2019 | May 2020 | May 2021 | May 2022 | May 2023 | May 2024 | May 2025 | May 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity capital | 1,685 | 2,205 | 2,287 | 2,226 | 2,231 | 2,252 | 2,296 | 2,296 |
| Reserves | 807 | 144 | 522 | -26 | -32 | -35 | -16 | -108 |
| Total liabilities | 3,500 | 7,615 | 7,843 | 7,938 | 8,040 | 9,081 | 10,276 | 10,655 |
| Fixed assets | 2,553 | 2,757 | 2,869 | 3,356 | 3,725 | 4,184 | 4,716 | 5,049 |
| Total assets | 5,893 | 9,946 | 10,656 | 10,136 | 10,242 | 11,323 | 12,587 | 12,862 |
| Line item | May 2019 | May 2020 | May 2021 | May 2022 | May 2023 | May 2024 | May 2025 | May 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash from operations | 1,268 | 717 | 1,194 | 1,265 | 1,553 | 1,622 | 1,707 | 1,853 |
| Cash from investing | -463 | -544 | -264 | -389 | -568 | -1,325 | -1,278 | -711 |
| Cash from financing | -484 | 139 | -479 | -1,610 | -1,033 | -483 | -386 | -1,164 |
| Net cash flow | 310 | 306 | 451 | -743 | -56 | -196 | 34 | -27 |
| Capital expenditure | -452 | -460 | -255 | -377 | -565 | -601 | -645 | -734 |
| Free cash flow | 816 | 258 | 939 | 888 | 988 | 1,021 | 1,062 | 1,119 |
DRI revenue by segment
Fine Dining shrank from 12% to 10% of revenue over the last two years.
| Segment | Q2 FY2025 | Q3 FY2025 | Q4 FY2025 | Q1 FY2026 | Q2 FY2026 | Q3 FY2026 | Q4 FY2026 | Q1 FY2027 | YoY growth latest quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olive Garden | — | 42% | — | 43% | 44% | 42% | 41% | 42% | +2.2% |
| Long Horn Steakhouse | 25% | 24% | 25% | 26% | 25% | 26% | 27% | 27% | +10.9% |
| All Other Segments | 20% | 21% | 22% | 22% | 21% | 21% | 21% | 22% | +3.6% |
| Fine Dining | 11% | 12% | 10% | 9% | 10% | 12% | 10% | 10% | +6.2% |
Share of consolidated revenue by quarter. Q4 is the fiscal year less its first three quarters.
See how segments are shifting across companies → Segment Shift
DRI operating KPIs by quarter
| KPI | Feb 2026 Q3 FY26 | May 2026 Q4 FY26 | Change vs prior quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employees | 200KWe've got 200,000 employees in this company and only about 1,000 of them work here.Source: earnings call transcript | 200K+In closing, I want to thank our over 200,000 team members for everything they do.Source: earnings call transcript | — |
Operating figures the company stated on at least two of the calls shown, checked against each call's transcript. Click a figure to read the sentence. A dash means it was not stated that quarter.
Insider filings
123 filings between Oct 29, 2025 and Oct 6, 2026.
Open market
decisions to buy or sellPurchases
None
No insider bought shares.
Sales
$24.05M
27 sales by 12 insiders
Compensation
not trading decisions- 53
- Option exercise — converted options into shares
- 35
- Tax withheld — shares kept back by the company to cover tax
Also filed: 8 gifts.
Who traded
open market only| Insider | Bought | Sold | Last filing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardenas Ricardo | — | $8.18M | Jul 28, 2026 |
| Vennam Rajesh | — | $3.23M | Jul 29, 2026 |
| Connelly Susan M. | — | $3.06M | Jul 29, 2026 |
| Wilkerson John W. | — | $2.33M | Aug 5, 2026 |
| King Sarah H. | — | $1.87M | Jul 29, 2026 |
| Martin Melvin John | — | $1.68M | Oct 6, 2026 |
| Burrowes Todd | — | $1.47M | Jan 13, 2026 |
| Milanes Douglas J. | — | $731.8K | Apr 17, 2026 |
Latest filings (50)
| Date | Insider | What | Shares | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 6, 2026 | Martin Melvin John Group President | Sale | 2,209 | $447.6K |
| Sep 29, 2026 | Madonna John W. SVP, Corporate Controller | Gift | 75 | $0 |
| Sep 28, 2026 | Madonna John W. SVP, Corporate Controller | Gift | 510 | $0 |
| Sep 17, 2026 | Simon William S Director | Option exercise | 886 | $0 |
| Sep 17, 2026 | Kenningham Daryl Director | Option exercise | 886 | $0 |
| Sep 17, 2026 | FOGARTY JAMES P Director | Option exercise | 886 | $0 |
| Sep 17, 2026 | CHUGG JULIANA L Director | Option exercise | 886 | $0 |
| Aug 30, 2026 | Kenningham Daryl Director | Option exercise | 150 | $0 |
| Aug 5, 2026 | Wilkerson John W. President, Olive Garden | Option exercise | 6,364 | $790.7K |
| Aug 5, 2026 | Wilkerson John W. President, Olive Garden | Sale | 6,364 | $1.33M |
| Aug 5, 2026 | Wilkerson John W. President, Olive Garden | Sale | 2,500 | $521.0K |
| Jul 31, 2026 | Williamson Laura B President, LongHorn Steakhouse | Sale | 443 | $90.8K |
| Jul 31, 2026 | Williamson Laura B President, LongHorn Steakhouse | Sale | 1,110 | $226.8K |
| Jul 29, 2026 | Connelly Susan M. SVP, Chief Comm & PA Officer | Sale | 2,226 | $463.4K |
| Jul 29, 2026 | King Sarah H. SVP, Chief People Officer | Sale | 2,873 | $605.7K |
| Jul 29, 2026 | Vennam Rajesh SVP, CFO | Sale | 8,478 | $1.78M |
| Jul 29, 2026 | King Sarah H. SVP, Chief People Officer | Sale | 1,500 | $314.4K |
| Jul 28, 2026 | Cardenas Ricardo President and CEO | Sale | 3,801 | $796.6K |
| Jul 28, 2026 | Cardenas Ricardo President and CEO | Option exercise | 19,091 | $2.37M |
| Jul 28, 2026 | Cardenas Ricardo President and CEO | Sale | 15,290 | $3.20M |
| Jul 28, 2026 | Cardenas Ricardo President and CEO | Sale | 12,802 | $2.67M |
| Jul 28, 2026 | Cardenas Ricardo President and CEO | Sale | 7,241 | $1.52M |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Burrowes Todd Group Pres, Pres, Chuy's | Tax withheld | 2,361 | $463.5K |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Burrowes Todd Group Pres, Pres, Chuy's | Option exercise | 6,000 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Madonna John W. SVP, Corporate Controller | Tax withheld | 366 | $71.8K |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Madonna John W. SVP, Corporate Controller | Option exercise | 1,500 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2026 | King Sarah H. SVP, Chief People Officer | Option exercise | 3,858 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Koren Lindsay L. SVP General Counsel | Tax withheld | 157 | $30.8K |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Williamson Laura B President, LongHorn Steakhouse | Option exercise | 344 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Connelly Susan M. SVP, Chief Comm & PA Officer | Option exercise | 2,144 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2026 | King Sarah H. SVP, Chief People Officer | Tax withheld | 1,337 | $262.5K |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Williamson Laura B President, LongHorn Steakhouse | Option exercise | 858 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Williamson Laura B President, LongHorn Steakhouse | Tax withheld | 209 | $41.0K |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Connelly Susan M. SVP, Chief Comm & PA Officer | Tax withheld | 844 | $165.7K |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Vennam Rajesh SVP, CFO | Tax withheld | 2,868 | $563.0K |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Cardenas Ricardo President and CEO | Tax withheld | 8,432 | $1.66M |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Cardenas Ricardo President and CEO | Option exercise | 21,426 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Vennam Rajesh SVP, CFO | Option exercise | 7,286 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Wilkerson John W. President, Olive Garden | Option exercise | 3,214 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Martin Melvin John Group President | Tax withheld | 2,361 | $463.5K |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Milanes Douglas J. SVP, Chief Supply Chain Ofcr | Option exercise | 3,000 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Koren Lindsay L. SVP General Counsel | Option exercise | 644 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Martin Melvin John Group President | Option exercise | 6,000 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Milanes Douglas J. SVP, Chief Supply Chain Ofcr | Tax withheld | 768 | $150.8K |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Wilkerson John W. President, Olive Garden | Tax withheld | 1,105 | $216.9K |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Williamson Laura B President, LongHorn Steakhouse | Tax withheld | 84 | $16.5K |
| Jul 26, 2026 | Burrowes Todd Group Pres, Pres, Chuy's | Tax withheld | 915 | $179.6K |
| Jul 26, 2026 | Burrowes Todd Group Pres, Pres, Chuy's | Tax withheld | 889 | $174.5K |
| Jul 26, 2026 | Burrowes Todd Group Pres, Pres, Chuy's | Option exercise | 2,257 | $0 |
| Jul 26, 2026 | Burrowes Todd Group Pres, Pres, Chuy's | Option exercise | 2,325 | $0 |
Source: SEC Form 4 filings. Form 4 reports transactions, not the cap table — absence of filings says nothing about how much an insider owns, and a quiet window is not a signal.
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