Darden Restaurants (DRI) Q3 Earnings: How Key Metrics Compare to Wall Street Estimates

Darden Restaurants (DRI Quick QuoteDRI – Free Report) reported $3.16 billion in revenue for the quarter ended February 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 6.2%. EPS of $2.80 for the same period compares to $2.62 a year ago.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.21 billion, representing a surprise of -1.54%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of -0.36%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $2.81.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers — revenue and earnings — and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company’s underlying performance.

As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock’s price performance more accurately.

Here is how Darden Restaurants performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Same-restaurant sales – LongHorn Steakhouse – YoY change: 2.6% versus the 10-analyst average estimate of 4.9%.
• Same-restaurant sales – Olive Garden – YoY change: 0.6% versus 1.7% estimated by 10 analysts on average.
• Company-owned restaurants – Total: 2,165 compared to the 2,174 average estimate based on 10 analysts.
• Company-owned restaurants – Olive Garden: 927 compared to the 930 average estimate based on nine analysts.
• Same-restaurant sales – Consolidated – YoY change: 0.7% compared to the 1.9% average estimate based on nine analysts.
• Company-owned restaurants – LongHorn Steakhouse: 586 versus the nine-analyst average estimate of 584.
• Same-restaurant sales – Other Business – YoY change: -0.4% compared to the 1.2% average estimate based on eight analysts.
• Same-restaurant sales – Fine Dining – YoY change: -0.8% versus -2.1% estimated by eight analysts on average.
• Sales- Olive Garden: $1.33 billion compared to the $1.36 billion average estimate based on six analysts. The reported number represents a change of +1.5% year over year.
• Sales- Other Business: $674.30 million compared to the $689.74 million average estimate based on six analysts. The reported number represents a change of +20.2% year over year.
• Sales- Fine Dining: $385.30 million versus the six-analyst average estimate of $385.92 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +3.3%.
• Sales- LongHorn Steakhouse: $768.10 million versus the six-analyst average estimate of $784.75 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +5.1%.

View all Key Company Metrics for Darden Restaurants here>>>

Shares of Darden Restaurants have returned -4.4% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite’s -7.5% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.