Darden Restaurants (DRI) Did Okay Because of the Chicken, Says Jim Cramer

We recently published 10 Stocks on Jim Cramer’s Radar.  Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s radar.

Full-service restaurant firm Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI)’s shares are flat year to date to make it another struggling restaurant stock in 2025. The stock experienced a notable 7.7% dip in September after the firm’s fiscal first-quarter earnings report. The results saw Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI)’s $3.04 billion in revenue meet analyst estimates and its $1.97 in adjusted EPS miss $2 in estimates. During the earnings call, CEO Rick Cardenas commented that his company was experiencing a growth in visits from higher-income customers. Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI)’s second fiscal quarter EPS of $2.08 also missed analyst estimates of $2.10. Following the second quarter earnings, Stephens cut the firm’s share price target to $205 from $215 and kept an Equal Weight rating on the stock. The financial firm explained that the restaurant company was experiencing softness in its well-known Olive Garden restaurants. Later, BTIG reiterated a Buy rating and a $225 share price target for Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI). In his earlier comments about the firm, Cramer pointed out that the company was benefiting from chicken on its menu. He reiterated the thoughts this time around as well:

“. . .although Darden did okay, because they’re largely chicken. And chicken is in large supply.”

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.