Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI) is expected to report Q3 earnings on March 22. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
 Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Darden Restaurants's revenues will expand 4.7% and EPS will compress -19.2%.

The average estimate for revenue is $2.26 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.01.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Darden Restaurants booked revenue of $1.96 billion. GAAP reported sales were 7.0% higher than the prior-year quarter's $1.83 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
 Last quarter, EPS came in at $0.26. GAAP EPS of $0.26 for Q2 were 37% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.41 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Recent performance
 For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 20.0%, 30 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 4.4%, 90 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 1.7%, 120 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $8.51 billion. The average EPS estimate is $3.17.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 401 members out of 524 rating the stock outperform, and 123 members rating it underperform. Among 153 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 131 give Darden Restaurants a green thumbs-up, and 22 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Darden Restaurants is hold, with an average price target of $60.00.

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