Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) on Thursday posted better-than-expected earnings for the third quarter.

The company reported third-quarter adjusted earnings per share of 2.95, beating the analyst consensus estimate of $2.94. Quarterly sales of $3.345 billion (+5.9% year over year) outpaced the Street view of $3.333 billion.

"Across all our brands, we're seeing historically high team member and manager retention, which is enabling consistent execution and strong guest satisfaction," said Darden President & CEO Rick Cardenas.

Darden narrowed its fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $10.57 to $10.67, compared with its prior range of $10.50 to $10.70 (Street view: $10.57).

The company also expects fiscal 2026 sales of $13.224 billion, ahead of the $13.164 billion consensus estimate. Darden is looking for 2026 GAAP EPS of $10.40-$10.50, versus the $10.74 analyst estimate.

Darden shares closed at $204.42 on Thursday.

These analysts made changes to their price targets on Darden following earnings announcement.

  • Baird analyst David Tarantino maintained Darden with a Neutral and raised the price target from $208 to $215.
  • Stephens & Co. analyst Jim Salera maintained the stock with an Equal-Weight rating and raised the price target from $205 to $210.
  • Keybanc analyst Christopher Carril maintained Darden with an Overweight and raised the price target from $225 to $226.

Considering buying DRI stock? Here’s what analysts think:

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