DRI
Darden Restaurants, Inc. Consumer Cyclical - Restaurants Investor Relations →
Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) closed at $216.27 as of 2026-02-02, trading 40.2% above its 200-week moving average of $154.25. The stock moved further from the line this week, up from 29.7% last week. With a 14-week RSI of 71, DRI is in overbought territory.
Over the past 1556 weeks of data, DRI has crossed below its 200-week moving average 13 times. On average, these episodes lasted 14 weeks. Historically, investors who bought DRI at the start of these episodes saw an average one-year return of +33.5%.
With a market cap of $25.2 billion, DRI is a large-cap stock. The company generates a free cash flow yield of 2.5%. Return on equity stands at 54.1%, indicating strong profitability. The stock trades at 12.0x book value.
The company has been aggressively buying back shares, reducing its share count by 5.6% over the past three years.
Over the past 29.9 years, a hypothetical investment of $100 in DRI would have grown to $5116, compared to $1770 for the S&P 500. That represents an annualized return of 14.1% vs 10.1% for the index — confirming DRI as a market-beating investment and the kind of quality company where buying during 200-week moving average touches has historically been rewarded.
Free cash flow has been growing at a 6.3% compound annual rate, with 4 consecutive years of positive cash generation.
Growth of $100: DRI vs S&P 500
Monthly data normalized to $100 at start. Vertical dashed lines mark 200-week MA touches.
What Happens After DRI Crosses Below the Line?
Across 13 historical episodes, buying DRI when it crossed below its 200-week moving average produced an average return of +45.7% after 12 months (median +33.0%), compared to +11.2% for the S&P 500 over the same periods. 92% of those episodes were profitable after one year. After 24 months, the average return was +77.5% vs +23.6% for the index.
Each line shows $100 invested at the moment DRI crossed below its 200-week MA. Bold blue = stock average. Gray dashed = S&P 500 average over same periods.
Historical Touches
DRI has crossed below its 200-week MA 13 times with an average 1-year return of +33.5% after recovery.
| Crossed Below | Recovered | Weeks | Max Depth | 1-Year Return | Return Since Touch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1996 | Aug 1997 | 62 | 32.5% | -15.8% | +5982.1% |
| Feb 2000 | Mar 2000 | 4 | 7.4% | +55.5% | +4837.5% |
| Feb 2003 | Feb 2003 | 1 | 1.8% | +29.7% | +2492.6% |
| Aug 2004 | Aug 2004 | 3 | 5.4% | +65.0% | +2085.0% |
| Dec 2007 | Apr 2008 | 17 | 34.3% | +6.6% | +1452.7% |
| May 2008 | Aug 2008 | 11 | 15.9% | +6.9% | +1229.0% |
| Aug 2008 | Mar 2009 | 31 | 58.5% | +1.9% | +1148.5% |
| May 2009 | May 2009 | 2 | 3.3% | +31.1% | +1104.3% |
| Jun 2009 | Aug 2009 | 12 | 7.1% | +31.7% | +1114.9% |
| Sep 2009 | Dec 2009 | 11 | 10.6% | +33.3% | +1127.3% |
| Jul 2014 | Jul 2014 | 3 | 3.0% | +69.2% | +673.8% |
| Mar 2020 | Sep 2020 | 29 | 56.9% | +60.5% | +190.3% |
| Oct 2020 | Nov 2020 | 1 | 1.7% | +60.5% | +177.6% |
| Average | 14 | — | +33.5% | — |
Not financial advice. This is an educational tool. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Do your own research before making investment decisions.
Data as of Friday close, 2026-02-02