Darden Restaurants Inc. Earnings Drop In Q3

(RTTNews) - Darden Restaurants Inc. (DRI) revealed a profit for third quarter that declined from last year.

The company's earnings came in at $128.7 million, or $0.98 per share. This compares with $232.3 million, or $1.89 per share, in last year's third quarter.

Analysts had expected the company to earn $0.69 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

The company's revenue for the quarter fell 26.4% to $1.73 billion from $2.35 billion last year.

Darden Restaurants Inc. earnings at a glance:

-Earnings (Q3): $128.7 Mln. vs. $232.3 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q3): $0.98 vs. $1.89 last year. -Analysts Estimate: $0.69 -Revenue (Q3): $1.73 Bln vs. $2.35 Bln last year.

-Guidance: Next quarter EPS guidance: $1.60 - $1.70 Next quarter revenue guidance: $2.1 Bln