Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI) is expected to report Q2 earnings on Dec. 20. 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 increase 6.4% and EPS will decrease -34.1%.

The average estimate for revenue is $1.95 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.27.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Darden Restaurants logged revenue of $2.03 billion. GAAP reported sales were 4.8% higher than the prior-year quarter's $1.94 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 $0.85. GAAP EPS of $0.85 for Q1 were 9.0% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.78 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 23.8%, 140 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 8.6%, 10 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 5.4%, 10 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $8.60 billion. The average EPS estimate is $3.41.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 389 members out of 509 rating the stock outperform, and 120 members rating it underperform. Among 143 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 122 give Darden Restaurants a green thumbs-up, and 21 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 $55.08.

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