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DRI

S&P 500
Neutral · 55/100

Darden Restaurants

Consumer Discretionary
Restaurants

$212.00

0.7%

Updated Today 6:01 PM ET

Price — Past Year

▼ Down 4.2% over the last 12 months

Price 50-day average 200-day averageSource: Yahoo Finance · refreshed daily
Key Metrics

Market Cap

$24.45B

P/E

22.26x

Forward P/E (est.)

20.88x

ROE

50.7%

Revenue Growth

8.5%

EPS Growth

6.6%

Profit Margin

8.7%

FCF Yield

5.4%

Debt / Equity

1.62x

ROIC

25.0%

Interest Coverage

27.14x

Current Ratio

0.39x

Dividend Yield

2.9%

Implied Growth (rev. DCF)

4.5%

Rating Score

55/100

Technical Analysis (Educational)
Research

Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what DRI's chart says today, with each tool explained.

Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. DRI trades near $212.00, above its 50-day average ($199.16) and 200-day average ($195.82). Price above both averages, with the shorter one above the longer, is the textbook definition of an uptrend — momentum favours buyers.

Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 59 it is in neutral territory — neither stretched nor washed out.

MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently positive — short-term momentum is improving.

Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. DRI's is $5.63 (~2.7% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.

Support & resistance. Over the last month DRI found buyers near $191.73 (support) and sellers near $215.39 (resistance); its 52-week range is $169.00–$228.27. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.

Volume. The latest session traded 1.1× the 20-day average — about normal. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.

Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. It updates daily as the price and indicators change.

Business Overview
Research

Darden Restaurants (DRI) is a large-cap company in the Restaurants industry, part of the Consumer Discretionary sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $24.45B.

In its latest reported year it generated about $12.08B in revenue and $1.05B in net profit.

Our model rates DRI Neutral (55/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.

Revenue Growth
Research

4Y CAGR

13.8%

Revenue moved from $7.20B in 2021 to $12.08B in 2025, a 13.8% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year grew a steady 8.5% year over year. Slower, mature growth is common for established businesses.

Profitability
Research

Gross Margin

20.5%

Operating Margin

11.3%

Net Margin

8.7%

ROE

50.7%

Darden Restaurants keeps about 8.7% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 20.5% gross margin and 11.3% operating margin. Return on equity is 50.7% and return on invested capital about 25.0%. Margins are moderate — typical of a competitive but profitable business.

Debt Analysis
Research

Total Debt

$2.14B

Net Debt

$1.90B

Net Debt / EBITDA

1.4x

Debt / Equity

1.62x

Leverage: debt-to-equity is 1.6x, and operating profit covers interest about 27.1x, with a current ratio of 0.4x. That is elevated leverage, which raises risk if earnings or rates move against it. It carries roughly $2.14B of total debt against $240.40M of cash.

Cash Flow Analysis
Research

Operating CF

$1.71B

Free Cash Flow

$1.06B

FCF Margin

8.8%

In the latest year Darden Restaurants produced about $1.71B of operating cash flow and $1.06B of free cash flow after capital spending. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 5.4% on today's price. Strong cash generation funds dividends, buybacks, and reinvestment.

Valuation Analysis
Research

P/E

22.26x

P/S

2x

P/B

10.55x

EV / EBITDA

13.76x

DRI trades at 22.3x trailing earnings (about 20.9x on estimated forward earnings), 2.0x sales, and 10.5x book value. Reverse-engineering today's price implies the market expects roughly 4.5% long-term free-cash-flow growth. That is a fairly typical valuation for a profitable company.

Metrics vs. Typical Range

Where this stock sits versus what most companies trade at.

TTM P/E
22.3xFair
Forward P/E
20.9xFair
P/S ratio
2.0xFair
Revenue growth
8.5%Strong
EPS growth
6.6%Weak
Gross margin
20.5%Weak
Net margin
8.7%Average
ROE
50.7%Strong

Typical ranges are general references (e.g., many stocks trade at ~18–26x earnings), not hard rules. Context only — not investment advice.

Sector Peer Comparison

How DRI stacks up against its Consumer Discretionary peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.

In the Consumer Discretionary sector (48 S&P 500 companies), DRI ranks #21 of 48 by our overall rating. It trades at roughly in line versus the sector on earnings (22.3x P/E vs. 23.7x median) with a higher return on equity (50.7% vs. 39.2%) and faster revenue growth (8.5% vs. 6.2%).

P/E vs sector

22.3x

median 23.7x

ROE vs sector

50.7%

median 39.2%

Growth vs sector

8.5%

median 6.2%

Sector rank

#21

of 48 by rating

CompanyP/ERev Gr.Rating
DRIThis stock22.3x8.5%Neutral· 55
CMG29.4x5.7%Neutral· 55
YUM23.6x9.7%Favorable· 63
DPZ17.6x5.2%Neutral· 57
SBUX76x5.8%Weak· 29
MCD22.8x6.8%Favorable· 64
RL26.1x14.6%Favorable· 65
PHM11.8x-5.9%Neutral· 50
Consumer Discretionary median23.7x6.2%54/100

Valuation vs. quality map

sector medianCMGYUMDPZSBUXMCDRLPHMDRIP/E — cheaper ←→ pricierROE — more profitable ↑

The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.

Compare side by side

Peers are the closest Consumer Discretionary companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 48 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.

5-Year Projection Model

Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.

2030 price target (Base Case)

$189.81$321.22

vs. $212.00 today · expected CAGR -2%9%

Metric20262027202820292030
Revenue$13.16B$14.35B$15.64B$17.05B$18.58B
Net income$1.18B$1.29B$1.41B$1.53B$1.67B
EPS$10.34$11.27$12.29$13.40$14.60
Share price (low)$134.47$146.57$159.76$174.14$189.81
Share price (high)$227.56$248.04$270.37$294.70$321.22
CAGR (low–high)-37% / 7%-17% / 8%-9% / 8%-5% / 9%-2% / 9%

Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.

Bull Case

The case for DRI:

  • Strong return on equity (50.7%) shows capital is put to work well.
  • Healthy free-cash-flow yield (~5.4%) funds buybacks and dividends.
  • Pays a 2.9% dividend on top of any price gains.
Bear Case

The case against DRI:

  • Elevated leverage (debt/equity 1.6x) adds financial risk.
  • Like any single stock, it is exposed to competition, the economic cycle, and shifts in its end markets.
Key Risks
Research

Balance-sheet risk — debt/equity of 1.6x magnifies the impact of higher rates or weaker earnings.

Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.

Investment Thesis
Research

On balance, the picture is mixed: Darden Restaurants is a large-cap consumer discretionary business growing at a mature pace, with modest profitability, and a heavier debt load to watch. It trades at 22.3x earnings, which our model scores Neutral (55/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.

Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.

Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.