Darden Restaurants Stock 2026 Falls 2.9% After Q1 Earnings

Darden Restaurants Stock 2026 closed lower on the New York Stock Exchange following the company's latest quarterly earnings release. At the close on September 24, 2026, Darden Restaurants stock finished at USD 207.44, down 2.9 percent, after the company reported its fiscal 2027 first quarter results and reaffirmed its full year outlook.

Further information on the company is available through Darden's official website. Darden Restaurants, Inc., listed under ISIN US2371941053 on the NYSE under the ticker DRI, traded 1,953,615 shares on September 24, 2026, compared with an average volume of 1,341,457 shares, according to MarketBeat data. The stock remained below its 52 week high of USD 229.76 and above its 52 week low of USD 169.00.

Quarterly Results Details

Revenue for the quarter reached USD 3.20 billion, just below a reported consensus estimate of USD 3.21 billion. Adjusted earnings per share matched the reported estimate of USD 2.05. As AskTraders reported on September 24, 2026, comparable sales growth at Olive Garden was weaker than the performance recorded at LongHorn Steakhouse during the same period, a divergence that reflects differing momentum across two of Darden's largest brands.

Dividend Announcement

Darden declared a quarterly dividend of USD 1.62 per share, payable on November 2, 2026, to shareholders of record as of October 9, 2026. TradingView reported that the company reaffirmed its fiscal 2027 outlook alongside the results release on September 24, 2026, indicating that despite the share price decline, Darden's broader financial guidance for the year remains unchanged.

Context for the Stock Movement

The 2.9 percent drop came on trading volume notably above the stock's reported average, suggesting heightened investor activity following the earnings release. While overall revenue and earnings per share were roughly in line with consensus estimates, the weaker comparable sales growth at Olive Garden relative to LongHorn Steakhouse appears to be one factor investors weighed in response to the report. Elsewhere in the restaurant sector, companies have continued to make structural changes to their portfolios, including Starbucks' recent North American store closures, as chains across the industry adjust strategy in response to shifting consumer demand.

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