MEDIUM confidence: 100% data completeness, but the composite (57) sits in the indecisive 30–70 range — strong-buy and short calls require a more decisive composite. What does confidence mean?
Technical context for active traders — derived from price, the 50/200-day moving averages, the 52-week range, and recent volume. Not part of the QScore.
Fama-French 5-factor (2×3) + Momentum, monthly OLS with Newey-West errors. Bars show signed factor betas; faded bars/figures aren't statistically significant.
Net buyback (repurchases less issuance) ÷ market cap, plus trailing dividend yield.
Net insider -$8.5M over 180 days (0 open-market buys, 14 sells). Insider buying is the informative signal; routine selling is normal.
Short interest, days-to-cover, and institutional-ownership change require a data-plan upgrade (not yet available).
Forward-return IC, quintile spread & hit rate publish on /performance as the tracking panel accrues enough no-look-ahead history.
| Metric (USD) | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 | FY2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $9.6B— | $10.5B+8.9% | $11.4B+8.6% | $12.1B+6.0% | $13.2B+9.4% |
| EPS (dil.) | $7.39— | $7.99+8.1% | $8.51+6.5% | $8.86+4.1% | $10.39+17.3% |
| Free Cash Flow | $857M— | $952M+11.1% | $984M+3.3% | $1.0B+5.2% | $1.1B+8.1% |
| Gross Margin | 20.7% | 20.1%-0.6pp | 21.4%+1.3pp | 21.9%+0.5pp | 69.4%+47.5pp |
| Operating Margin | 12.1% | 11.5%-0.6pp | 11.5%+0.1pp | 11.3%-0.3pp | 12.0%+0.7pp |
| Net Margin | 9.9% | 9.4%-0.5pp | 9.0%-0.3pp | 8.7%-0.3pp | 9.1%+0.4pp |
Absolute figures with year-over-year change. Margins show the level with the change in percentage points (pp). “n/m” = not meaningful (prior ≤ 0); ⚠ marks a large percentage off a small base — read the dollar figure.
Avg target $227 (last qtr, 8 analysts) → $227 (last mo, 7) (-0.1%).
Buy-rated share 61% → 60% over ~3 months (-1pp).
| Quarter | Est. | Actual | Surprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | $3.63 | $3.66 | +0.8% |
| Mar 2026 | $2.94 | $2.95 | +0.3% |
| Dec 2025 | $2.10 | $2.08 | -1.0% |
| Sep 2025 | $2.00 | $1.97 | -1.5% |
| Jun 2025 | $2.97 | $2.98 | +0.3% |
| Mar 2025 | $2.80 | $2.80 | +0.0% |
| Dec 2024 | $2.02 | $2.03 | +0.5% |
| Sep 2024 | $1.83 | $1.75 | -4.4% |
The QScore of 57 for Darden Restaurants indicates a neutral outlook, with the stock's strengths and weaknesses balancing out. The company scores high on profitability, with a notable ROE of 56.0%, and exhibits relatively low risk, with a beta of 0.6. However, its value score is dragged down by a P/B of 11.1, indicating a premium valuation, while growth and momentum scores are middling, with revenue growth of 9.4% and a 12-month return of -1.7%. The long-term and short-term scores are closely aligned, suggesting a consistent outlook.