The country's largest restaurant operator is trying to grow its brand loyalty by using its large size to keep prices low. The Capital Grille and Eddie V's Prime Seafood are two of the premium restaurants that Darden operates. The war of attrition created by the Pandemic resulted in many mom and pop establishments closing up shop, leaving only the best capitalized restaurants to weather the storm. The market share of the big players increased. Another round of attrition is happening. It is being driven by record-setting Inflation, falling consumer spending, and a tight labor market, all of which are squeezing already thin margins for restaurants. As they continue to drive top and bottom line growth, they are proving to be the best restaurant operator in the country. Brinker International's margins are being squeezed hard.

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Can’t Pass the Buck

As it turns off consumers, passing all the inflation onto them has been a failure. The lower budget consumers are more sensitive to prices at casual dining restaurants. The strength of its brands allowed it to grow margins even higher than before, thanks in part to the use of precision pricing. As the largest restaurant operator, Darden can mitigate some inflationary pressures on margins by implementing a masterful pricing strategy just below the rate of inflation. While competitors are raising menu prices, Darden has been slow to raise prices to encourage customers to stick with them and earn more loyalty.

Strong Finishing Performance for Fiscal 2022

The fiscal year ended on a strong note despite record inflation. The results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, which ended in May, were released by the company. The Company reported a non-GAAPDiluted Earnings-per-share of $2.24 which was $0.06 better than the analysts' estimates. Revenues grew 14.2% year-over-year, beating analyst expectations. The sales of comparable restaurants rose. There is a new $1 billion stock buy back program. Despite experiencing high inflation, the fiscal year was a good one. Our brands were able to strengthen their business models thanks to the competitive advantages of Darden. Our focus as we start our new fiscal year is to drive profitable sales, invest in the guest experience and simplify operations. Regardless of the operating environment, we have a strong balance sheet.

Darden Restaurants Takes the Low Road Against Inflation

Here’s What the Charts Say

The rifle charts give a view of the landscape for DRI stock. The weekly rifle chart has an upward trend with a rising 5-period moving average and a 15-period MA support. The weekly 200 period MA support is at $128.14 and 50- period MA resistance is near the fib level. The mini pup was formed by the week's stochastic. The weekly upper and lower bands are $138.19 and $108.64. The rising 5-period MA at $126.39 is trying to break out through the 15-period MA at $126.84. The daily 50-period MA is going up and the daily 200-period MA is going down. The 20 band is where the daily stochastic is coiling back up. There was a daily market structure low. There are five attractive levels, including a daily 5-period MA, a fib, and afib level.

Pricing Strategy

While competitors are getting squeezed, the pricing strategy of Darden is maintaining operating margins. He said, "During the quarter, we took additional pricing to help offset a portion of the growing inflation that brought total pricing to 6% for the quarter and 3% for the year." As we execute our strategy to strengthen our value leadership position, this is below our annual inflation. They are raising their prices more slowly than their competitors. While competitors raise prices to mitigate margin pressures, this should instill a sense of value and loyalty among its customers.

Looking Ahead to Fiscal 2023

Expectations were held in light of the macroeconomic environment. Fiscal 2023 guidance from Darden was between $7.40 to $8.00, which was in line with analysts' estimates. Revenues are expected to be between $10.2 billion and $10.4 billion for the full fiscal year. The same store sales are expected to increase. Competitors expect margins to fall while growth is expected. The shares are trading at a discount to their forward earnings.

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