Darden Restaurants, Inc. earnings overview

DRI FY2026 Q4 · Calendar Q2 2026

Darden Restaurants, Inc.

Darden Restaurants delivered a strong close to fiscal 2026, with full-year total sales up 13.7% and same-restaurant sales growth of 4.6%, led by LongHorn Steakhouse's standout 9.5% comp. The company opened 71 new restaurants, six ahead of plan, and launched its first international franchising partners in Spain and India. An 8% dividend increase to $6.48 annually signals management's confidence in cash flow generation. However, the market reaction was muted -- shares moved only modestly lower on the day before drifting down 7.7% over the following month on 2.7x normal volume. FY2027 guidance points to a normalization of growth, with sales of $13.6-13.75 billion and same-restaurant growth of 2.5-3.5%, suggesting the easy comps and menu-driven traffic gains of fiscal 2026 may be harder to replicate.