earnings
confidence high
sentiment positive
materiality 0.75
Darden Q2 sales up 7.3% to $3.1B; same-restaurant sales +4.3% across all segments; declares $1.50 dividend
DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC
2026-Q2 EPS reported
$4.22
revenue$6,146,800,000
- Reported diluted EPS of $2.03; adjusted EPS of $2.08, up 2.5% YoY (excludes Chuy's transaction costs and restaurant closure costs).
- Olive Garden same-restaurant sales +4.7%; LongHorn Steakhouse +5.9%; Fine Dining +0.8%; Other Business +3.1%.
- Board declared quarterly dividend of $1.50/share, payable Feb 2, 2026 to holders of record Jan 9, 2026.
- Repurchased 1.1M shares for $222M in Q2; $643M remaining under $1B authorization.
- Updated FY2026 guidance: total sales growth 8.5%-9.3%; adjusted diluted EPS $10.50-$10.70 including ~$0.20 from 53rd week.