Darden Restaurants Inc. Q3 Profit Advances, but misses estimates

(RTTNews) - Darden Restaurants Inc. (DRI) reported a profit for its third quarter that increased from the same period last year but missed the Street estimates.

The company's earnings totaled $247.0 million, or $1.93 per share. This compares with $128.7 million, or $0.98 per share, in last year's third quarter.

Analysts on average had expected the company to earn $2.10 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

The company's revenue for the quarter rose 41.6% to $2.45 billion from $1.73 billion last year.

Darden Restaurants Inc. earnings at a glance (GAAP) :

-Earnings (Q3): $247.0 Mln. vs. $128.7 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q3): $1.93 vs. $0.98 last year. -Analyst Estimate: $2.10 -Revenue (Q3): $2.45 Bln vs. $1.73 Bln last year.

-Guidance: Full year EPS guidance: $7.30 - $7.45 Full year revenue guidance: $9.55 - $9.62 Bln