Darden Restaurants

Darden Restaurants is a publicly traded company having a good stock performance result. Darden Restaurants is a fortune 500 stock listed company trading under DRI. Official trading of Darden Restaurants stock was in May 30, 1995.

Darden Restaurants, Inc., headquartered in Orlando, FL, owns and operates over 1,400 Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, Smokey Bones, and Seasons 52 restaurants with annual sales of 5.3 billion dollars.

The sales were 1.47 billion dollars and 4.21 billion dollars for the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal 2006, respectively, compared to 1.38 billion dollars and 3.88 billion dollars for the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal 2005, respectively. The 7.1 percent and 8.4 percent increases in sales for the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal 2006, respectively, were driven primarily by increased U.S. same-restaurant sales at Olive Garden and Red Lobster and a net increase of 48 Company-owned restaurants since the third quarter of fiscal 2005.

 For the third quarter of fiscal 2006, their net earnings were 105 million dollars compared to 93 million dollars for the third quarter of fiscal 2005, a 13.7 percent increase, and their diluted net earnings per share were 0.67 dollars for the third quarter of fiscal 2006 compared to 0.56 dollars for the third quarter of fiscal 2005, a 19.6 percent increase. For the first nine months of fiscal 2006, their net earnings were 246 million dollars compared to 207 million dollars for the first nine months of fiscal 2005, a 19.0 percent increase, and their diluted net earnings per share were 1.56 dollars for the first nine months of fiscal 2006 compared to 1.26 dollars for the first nine months of fiscal 2005, a 23.8 percent increase.

Total costs and expenses were 1.34 billion dollars and 1.25 billion dollars for the quarters ended February 26, 2006 and February 27, 2005, respectively. As a percent of sales, total costs and expenses increased from 90.5 percent in the third quarter of fiscal 2005 to 90.6 percent in the third quarter of fiscal 2006.

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased 32 million dollars, or 8.7 percent, from 372 million dollars to 404 million dollars in the first nine months of fiscal 2006 compared to the first nine months of fiscal 2005.

The Company takes pride in providing a terrific dining experience to every guest, every time, in every one of their restaurants. That is how they will be the best company in casual dining, now and for generations.