11:07 AM EDT, 06/20/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Darden Restaurants ( DRI ) on Friday forecast same-store sales growth for the current fiscal year slightly above Wall Street's estimate at the midpoint, while the Olive Garden ( DRI ) parent's fourth-quarter results beat market expectations.

For fiscal 2026, Darden expects same-store sales growth in the range of 2% to 3.5%, while the Street is currently estimating the metric to come in at 2.7%. Same-store sales in the previous year increased 2%, surpassing the 1.3% growth estimate of analysts.

Net earnings are expected to be between $10.50 to $10.70 a share during the fiscal year, while sales are projected to rise 7% to 8%. Analysts are looking for EPS of $10.77 and sales of $13.15 billion.

The company plans to open 60 to 65 new restaurants during the year. The stock rose 2% in Friday trading.

For the three-month period ended May 25, revenue climbed about 11% year over year to $3.27 billion, while the consensus on FactSet was for sales of $3.26 billion. Same-store sales grew 4.6%, compared with the market consensus of 3.5% growth. Same-restaurant sales rose 6.9% at Olive Garden ( DRI ) and moved 6.7% higher at LongHorn Steakhouse. The fine dining segment fell 3.3%.

Adjusted net earnings rose to $2.98 a share from $2.65 a year earlier, surpassing the consensus of $2.96.

"We had a strong quarter with same-restaurant sales and earnings growth that exceeded our expectations," Chief Executive Rick Cardenas said in a statement.

Darden's board also authorized a new $1 billion share repurchase program.

Price: 227.16, Change: +4.41, Percent Change: +1.98