Darden Restaurants is the largest global full-service dining operator, with over $12 billion in system sales across 2,159 company-owned stores at the end of fiscal 2025, spanning the US and Canada.
It is a $22.4B consumer company. Revenue grew 8.1% over the last year, and it keeps 9¢ of every dollar of sales as profit. It trades at 18.9× earnings — in the cheapest third of its own history.
- Website
- darden.com
- Location
- Orlando, FL
- Employees
- 209 931
- Sector
- Consumer Cyclical
Skills
Six independent scores, 0–100, built from reported numbers and valuation history. Click a row to see how it was scored.
Strong valuation, quality and moat; Growth and Health lag behind.
Valuation77
- P/E vs own history33th pct · 20/25
- FCF yield4.7% · 12/25
- P/S1.7x · 25/25
- EV/EBITDA12.4x · 20/25
Growth49
- Revenue CAGR8.2% · 12/25
- Net income CAGR6.1% · 12/25
- EPS CAGR ~5Y16.8% · 20/25
- Fwd implied growth3.1% · 5/25
Profitability50
- ROICn/a · 0/25
- ROE55.9% · 25/25
- Net margin8.8% · 13/25
- Operating margin11.7% · 12/25
Health18
- Altman Zn/a · 0/25
- Current ratio0.30 · 0/25
- Interest coverage8.2x · 18/25
- Net cash / debtn/a · 0/25
Quality94
- Piotroski F7/9 · 22/25
- Beneish M-7.58 · 25/25
- FCF conversion89% · 22/25
- Margin stabilityσ 2.2% · 25/25
Moat75
- ROIC >12% years9/10 yrs · 25/25
- Median gross margin52.5% · 20/25
- FCF-positive years11/11 yrs · 25/25
- Worst-year net marginworst -0.7% · 5/25
Experience
The company's career so far — founding, the IPO, landmark products and acquisitions, plus revenue milestones and insider buying.
- FY2026FinancialBest year on record$1.21B net income
- 2024AcquisitionDarden agreed to acquire Chuy's
- FY2023FinancialRevenue crossed $10B$10.5B for the year
- FY2021FinancialBecame debt-freecash now exceeds total debt
- Mar 28, 2017AcquisitionWhen Darden announced that it had acquired Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen and "lifted its full-year…
- FY2016FinancialFirst recorded profitable year$375M net income
- FY2016FinancialRevenue already above $1B$6.93B in first reported year
- FY2016FinancialPositive free cash flow every year since11-year streak
- May 12, 2014MilestoneDarden announced that as part of the spinoff of Red Lobster, it was converting the co-located Red…
- 1996ProductDarden launched a test of a Bahama Breeze Caribbean Grille concept featuring food and drinks found in…
- May 9, 1995MilestoneDarden Restaurants was spun off from General Mills beginning on May 9, 1995
- 1990ProductChina Coast was launched as an attempt to create a (U.S.) national casual dining restaurant that featured…
- 1989MilestoneThe chain became successful, and by 1989 General Mills had opened over 145 restaurants, making the chain the…
- 1982MilestoneDarden opened the first Olive Garden concept restaurant in Orlando
- 1970MilestoneThe restaurant became successful and, by 1970, had expanded to three locations in the state
- 1938MilestoneWilliam "Bill" Darden opened his first restaurant, The Green Frog, in Waycross, Georgia, in 1938 at age 19
Achievements
Verifiable track record, straight from the reported numbers.
Strengths & watch-outs
What a bull and a bear would each point to. Both lists come from the reported numbers, not opinions.
Strengths
- Interest covered 8.2× by operating earnings
- Piotroski F-Score 7/9 — fundamentally strong checklist
Watch-outs
- Loss-making in 1 of the recent years
Qualifications
The basics a company should meet before you research it further. Each check uses the reported numbers.
- Revenue growing — the company sells more than a year ago+8.1% YoY
- Profitable — makes more than it spends$1.18B TTM
- Profit growing — earnings are higher than last year+9.1% YoY
- Generates cash — cash left after running and investing$1.05B TTM
- Debt under control — could handle its obligationscurrent ratio 0.30
- Established company — not a micro-cap — lower blow-up risk$22.4B market cap
- Not printing shares — share count not ballooning — you keep your slice-11.8% shares over ~5y
- Proven track record — years of profitability behind it10/11 profitable years
- Financially stable — balance sheet not near distresshealth score 18/100
- Pays a dividend — returns cash to shareholdersyield 3.14%
- Valuation not extreme — price not wildly above earningsP/E 18.9
Peer comparisonDarden Restaurants, Inc. vs 6 largest consumer cyclical peers — cap, P/E, growth and margin side by sideOpen ▾Close ▴
| Company | Market cap | P/E | Revenue growth | Net margin | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DRI this company | $22.4B | 18.9 | +8.1% | 8.8% | Strained |
| AMZN Amazon.Com Inc | $2.8T | 20.9 | +15.8% | 17.4% | Mixed |
| TSLA Tesla, Inc. | $1.5T | 397.1 | +11.8% | 3.7% | Strong |
| NFLX NetFlix Inc | $292.8B | 21.4 | +16.0% | 28.2% | Solid |
| HD Home Depot, Inc. | $290.4B | 20.4 | -16.0% | 8.7% | Solid |
| DIS The Walt Disney Company | $186.5B | 21.7 | +4.6% | 8.7% | Solid |
| MCD McDonald's Corporation | $166.9B | 18.9 | +6.3% | 31.7% | Strained |
Head-to-head: DRI vs AMZN · DRI vs TSLA · DRI vs NFLX
References
What covering analysts publish about the company — information only, not a recommendation.
Appendix · Financial records
The full statements behind this CV, FY2016–FY2026. For readers who want to check the numbers.
Live data and quarterly detail: stockcv.com/DRI
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Deeper analysis of DRI on PreMarketPriceFigures are derived from company filings (quarterly values normalised from as-filed year-to-date data where applicable) and may be delayed, restated or incomplete. This page is information, not investment advice. Latest price $197.66 · market cap $22.4B.