Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI) reported Q3 EPS of $1.71, $0.07 better than the analyst estimate of $1.64. Revenue for the quarter came in at $2.13 billion versus the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion.

• Blended same-restaurant sales from Darden's legacy brands increased 2.0%

GUIDANCE:

Darden Restaurants sees FY2018 EPS of $4.75-$4.80, versus the consensus of $4.76.

The Company increased its financial outlook for Fiscal 2018 based on year-to-date results and its expected performance in the fourth quarter.

	Current (03/22/18)	Prior (01/08/18)
Same-restaurant sales growth	Approx. 2%	Approx. 2%
New restaurant openings	Approx. 40	Approx. 40
Total sales growth	Approx. 13%	Approx. 13%
Effective tax rate	16.0% to 16.5%	Approx. 18%
Adjusted diluted net earnings per share from continuing operations*	$4.75 to $4.80	$4.70 to $4.78
Diluted average common shares outstanding for the year	Approx. 126M	Approx. 126M

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Darden Restaurants (DRI) click here.