Darden Restaurants Q3 Earnings Preview

Darden Restaurants DRI unveils its next round of earnings this Thursday, March 19. Get prepared with Benzinga's ultimate preview for Darden's Q3 earnings.

Earnings and Revenue

Sell-side analysts expect Darden's EPS to be near $1.88 on sales of $2.32 billion.

In the same quarter last year, Darden Restaurants reported earnings per share of $1.80 on revenue of $2.25 billion. If the company were to report inline earnings when it publishes results Thursday, earnings would be up 4.44%. Revenue would be up 3.25% from the same quarter last year. Here's how the company's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past:

Stock Performance

Over the last 52-week period, shares are down 62.11%. Given that these returns are generally negative, long-term shareholders are likely a little upset going into this earnings release. Analyst estimates are adjusted higher for EPS and revenues over the past 90 days. Analysts generally rate Darden stock as Neutral. The strength of this rating has maintained conviction over the past three months.

Conference Call

Darden Restaurants is scheduled to hold a conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET and it can be accessed here: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/1007/33263