Darden Restaurants Inc. Q1 Profit Increases, But Misses Estimates

(RTTNews) - Darden Restaurants Inc. (DRI) released a profit for its first quarter that increased from the same period last year but missed the Street estimates.

The company's bottom line came in at $207.2 million, or $1.74 per share. This compares with $194.5 million, or $1.59 per share, in last year's first quarter.

Excluding items, Darden Restaurants Inc. reported adjusted earnings of $208.8 million or $1.75 per share for the period.

Analysts on average had expected the company to earn $1.83 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

The company's revenue for the quarter rose 1.0% to $2.757 billion from $2.730 billion last year.

Darden Restaurants Inc. earnings at a glance (GAAP) :

-Earnings (Q1): $207.2 Mln. vs. $194.5 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q1): $1.74 vs. $1.59 last year. -Revenue (Q1): $2.757 Bln vs. $2.730 Bln last year.

-Guidance: Full year EPS guidance: $9.40 to $9.60