Darden Restaurants Inc (DRI) Stock Price & Analysis
Darden Restaurants Inc (DRI) fell 0.53% to USD 216.88 as of September 8, 2026 at 02:50 UTC, according to Nexqual real-time market data.
DRI last closed at USD 218.04; the session ranged USD 216.47–219.44 on volume of 620,063 shares. Market capitalization is $24.62B, with a 52-week range of USD 169–229.76 (NYQ). Source: Nexqual, September 8, 2026 at 02:50 UTC.
Key Statistics (as of September 8, 2026 at 02:50 UTC)
| Price | USD 216.88 |
|---|---|
| Change | ▼ 0.53% (down) |
| Previous Close | USD 218.04 |
| Open | USD 216.95 |
| Day Range | USD 216.47 – 219.44 |
| 52-Week Range | USD 169 – 229.76 |
| Volume | 620,063 shares |
| Market Cap | $24.62B |
| Exchange | NYQ |
Technical Analysis (DRI)
Nexqual's technical model rates DRI "BUY" based on 4 bullish and 1 bearish signals across 128 daily candles, as of September 8, 2026 at 02:50 UTC.
| Overall Signal | BUY |
|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 54.51 (neutral) |
| vs SMA50 | Above (USD 209.62) |
| MACD | 1.82 (positive) |
Analyst Ratings (DRI)
Wall Street analysts rate DRI "Buy" based on 25 analysts, with a mean price target of USD 231.04 (range USD 156–276), per Nexqual as of September 8, 2026 at 02:50 UTC.
| Consensus Rating | Buy |
|---|---|
| Analyst Count | 25 |
| Mean Target | USD 231.04 |
| High Target | USD 276 |
| Low Target | USD 156 |
| Buy / Hold / Sell | 17 / 10 / 1 |
Earnings (DRI)
| Next Earnings Date | 2026-09-24 |
|---|---|
| EPS Estimate | USD 2.05 |
| Revenue Estimate | $3.21B |
Recent Earnings History
| Quarter | Actual vs Estimate |
|---|---|
| 2026-05-31 | USD 3.66 vs est 3.64 ▲ beat |
| 2026-02-28 | USD 2.95 vs est 2.94 ▲ beat |
| 2025-11-30 | USD 2.08 vs est 2.1 ▼ miss |
| 2025-08-31 | USD 1.97 vs est 2.01 ▼ miss |
Source: Nexqual, September 8, 2026 at 02:50 UTC.
Financials & Fundamentals (DRI)
| Total Revenue | $13.21B |
|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (YoY) | +13.70% |
| Gross Margin | +21.67% |
| Operating Margin | +14.14% |
| Profit Margin | +9.13% |
| ROE | +53.72% |
| Debt / Equity | 364.51 |
| Current Ratio | 0.31 |
| Total Cash | $219.50M |
| Total Debt | $8.05B |
| Free Cash Flow | $790.97M |
Source: Nexqual, September 8, 2026 at 02:50 UTC.
Financial Health Score (DRI)
Nexqual rates Darden Restaurants Inc's overall financial health "Mixed" across five dimensions, as of September 8, 2026 at 02:50 UTC.
| Growth | Solid — Revenue +9% YoY (annual) |
|---|---|
| Profitability | Mixed — Gross margin 22%, operating 14% |
| Balance Sheet | Critical — $220M cash vs $8.05B debt |
| Cash Flow | Solid — FCF $791M, 6% margin |
| Efficiency | Strong — ROE 54%, ROA 7.7% |
Ownership (DRI)
| Insider Ownership | +0.30% |
|---|---|
| Institutional Ownership | +101.39% |
| Shares Outstanding | 113.54M |
| Float | 113.55M |
| Short % of Float | +7.70% |
Source: Nexqual, September 8, 2026 at 02:50 UTC.
Leadership (DRI)
Darden Restaurants Inc is led by Ricardo Cardenas (age 57), CEO, President & Director, per Nexqual as of September 8, 2026 at 02:50 UTC.
| CEO, President & Director | Ricardo Cardenas (age 57) |
|---|---|
| Senior VP & CFO | Rajesh Vennam (age 51) |
| President of Business Development | Todd A. Burrowes (age 62) |
| President of Specialty Restaurant Group | John Melvin Martin (age 64) |
| Vice President of Finance & Investor Relations | Courtney Aquilla |
Major Backers & Investors (DRI)
Notable institutional backers of Darden Restaurants Inc include Capital Group, Income Fund of America, WASHINGTON MUTUAL INVESTORS FUND, according to Nexqual as of September 8, 2026 at 02:50 UTC.
Active Investors
| Investor | Stake |
|---|---|
| Capital Group | 13.3% |
| Income Fund of America | 5.49% |
| WASHINGTON MUTUAL INVESTORS FUND | 4.86% |
| Wellington Management | 3.4% |
| Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. | 3.25% |
| Raymond James Financial, Inc. | 3.25% |
Index Funds (Passive)
| Fund | Stake |
|---|---|
| Vanguard Group | 22.23% |
| BlackRock | 9.95% |
| State Street | 4.39% |
| Geode Capital | 3.03% |
Source: Nexqual, September 8, 2026 at 02:50 UTC.
From Darden Restaurants Inc's Latest SEC 10-K Filing (filed 2026-07-24)
Key Strengths & Strategy (as disclosed to the SEC)
- We use internally developed proprietary software, cloud-based software as a service ("SaaS"), as well as purchased software, with proven, non-proprietary hardware.
- In fiscal 2026, the Foundation awarded approximately $11.0 million in grants to national organizations as well as local nonprofits, including Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and the Heart of Florida United Way.
- Integrated marketing is key to bringing our brands to life, and our scale enables us to be a leading advertiser in the full-service dining segment of the restaurant industry.
- In fiscal 2026, we continued a multi-year effort to implement new technology platforms that allow us to digitally engage with our guests and team members and strengthen our marketing and analytics capabilities.
Partnerships
- Consistent with our long-standing agreement with the IRS, we work proactively with IRS personnel responsible for tip compliance to ensure that we are taking the appropriate steps to continue to meet our TRAC obligations.
- Our Learning and Development team, in partnership with each brand's training leader and senior operations executives, is responsible for developing and maintaining our operations training programs.
Source: SEC EDGAR 10-K, official filing. Curated by Nexqual.
Peers & Related Stocks
| Symbol | Name | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| EAT | Brinker International, Inc. | USD 230.22 | ▼ 0.34% |
| YUM | Yum! Brands, Inc. | USD 150.71 | ▼ 0.37% |
| CAKE | The Cheesecake Factory Incorpor | USD 107.58 | ▼ 0.91% |
| DPZ | Domino's Pizza Inc | USD 341.08 | ▼ 1.62% |
| CBRL | Cracker Barrel Old Country Stor | USD 54.69 | ▼ 0.2% |
Data source: Nexqual — real-time market data, technical indicators, analyst consensus, earnings, SEC EDGAR filings. Last updated: September 8, 2026 at 02:50 UTC. This page is informational and not investment advice.