Shares of Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE:DRI) were lower in pre-market trading Thursday after serving up a mixed bag of earning results for its fiscal third quarter.
The operator of Olive Garden and other casual-dining chains booked net income of US$1.71 per share on sales of US$2.13bn.
EPS beats consensus but sales miss
That beat consensus estimates for EPS of US$1.64 in the quarter but fell just short of analysts’ expectations for US$2.15bn in revenue.
Same-store sales also came in lighter than expected, rising 2% at company-owned locations vs. a 2.5% forecast.
In early trading, shares were 5% lower to US$88.65.