Darden Restaurants Inc. Q3 Income Climbs

(RTTNews) - Darden Restaurants Inc. (DRI) released a profit for its third quarter that gained ground compared to the same period last year.

The company said its bottom line totaled $218.5 million, or $1.74 per share. This was up from $166.3 million, or $1.32 per share, in last year's third quarter.

Analysts had expected the company to earn $1.64 per share, according figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

The company said revenue for the quarter rose 13.3% to $2.13 billion. This was up from $1.88 billion last year.

Darden Restaurants Inc. earnings at a glance:

-Earnings (Q3): $218.5 Mln. vs. $166.3 Mln. last year. -Earnings Growth (Y-o-Y): 31.4% -EPS (Q3): $1.74 vs. $1.32 last year. -EPS Growth (Y-o-Y): 31.8% -Analysts Estimate: $1.64 -Revenue (Q3): $2.13 Bln vs. $1.88 Bln last year. -Revenue Change (Y-o-Y): 13.3%

-Guidance: Full year EPS guidance: $4.75 - $4.80