Darden Restaurants Inc. Q3 Income Climbs 6%

(RTTNews) - Darden Restaurants Inc. (DRI) released earnings for its third quarter that gained ground from last year.

The company said its bottom line came in at $166.3 million, or $1.32 per share. This was higher than $157.1 million, or $1.21 per share, in last year's third quarter.

Analysts had expected the company to earn $1.28 per share, according figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

The company said revenue for the quarter rose 1.6% to $1.88 billion. This was up from $1.85 billion last year.

Darden Restaurants Inc. earnings at a glance:

-Earnings (Q3): $166.3 Mln. vs. $157.1 Mln. last year. -Earnings Growth (Y-o-Y): 5.9% -EPS (Q3): $1.32 vs. $1.21 last year. -EPS Growth (Y-o-Y): 9.1% -Analysts Estimate: $1.28 -Revenue (Q3): $1.88 Bln vs. $1.85 Bln last year. -Revenue Change (Y-o-Y): 1.6%

-Guidance: Full year EPS guidance: $3.95 - $4.00