ARMK vs. DRI: Aramark vs. Darden Restaurants Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Aramark (ARMK) and Darden Restaurants (DRI) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Aramark (ARMK) and Darden Restaurants (DRI) are both classified in the Restaurants sub-industry within the broader Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Aramark (ARMK) and Darden Restaurants (DRI)
Profile Item	ARMK	DRI
Name	Aramark	Darden Restaurants, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Consumer Discretionary	Consumer Discretionary
GICS Industry Group	Consumer Services	Consumer Services
GICS Industry	Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure	Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure
GICS Sub-Industry	Restaurants	Restaurants
Market Capitalization	13.85 billion USD	25.61 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	December 12, 2013	May 9, 1995
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ARMK

DRI

GSPC

Aramark (ARMK) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Aramark (ARMK) and Darden Restaurants (DRI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Aramark (ARMK) and Darden Restaurants (DRI). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Aramark (ARMK) and Darden Restaurants (DRI)
Metric	ARMK	DRI
Total Return (1Y)	45.95%	33.36%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	26.55%	19.59%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	15.73%	11.78%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ARMK

DRI

GSPC

Aramark (ARMK) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Aramark (ARMK) and Darden Restaurants (DRI). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Aramark (ARMK) and Darden Restaurants (DRI)
Metric	ARMK	DRI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	27.91%	27.88%
Beta (5Y)	1.08	0.63
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-27.63%	-26.96%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.66M	1.09M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ARMK and DRI are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Aramark (ARMK) and Darden Restaurants (DRI)
Metric	ARMK	DRI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.49	1.04
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	2.44	1.57

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 55.43% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Aramark (ARMK) at 11.69% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for DRI.

ARMK

Consumer Services industry group

11.69%

Max: 76.75%
Q3: 34.07%
Median: 15.90%
ARMK: 11.69%
Q1: 3.23%
Min: -40.61%

DRI

Consumer Services industry group

55.43%

Max: 76.75%
DRI: 55.43%
Q3: 34.07%
Median: 15.90%
Q1: 3.23%
Min: -40.61%

Aramark (ARMK) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their ROE against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Aramark (ARMK) at 1.93% and Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 8.85% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

ARMK

Consumer Services industry group

1.93%

Max: 25.52%
Q3: 12.95%
Median: 6.63%
ARMK: 1.93%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -14.36%

DRI

Consumer Services industry group

8.85%

Max: 25.52%
Q3: 12.95%
DRI: 8.85%
Median: 6.63%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -14.36%

Aramark (ARMK) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their net margin against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 9.86% runs core operations around its industry’s norm, while Aramark (ARMK) at 4.42% operates in the bottom quartile.

ARMK

Consumer Services industry group

4.42%

Max: 49.05%
Q3: 24.35%
Median: 14.23%
Q1: 5.67%
ARMK: 4.42%
Min: -16.47%

DRI

Consumer Services industry group

9.86%

Max: 49.05%
Q3: 24.35%
Median: 14.23%
DRI: 9.86%
Q1: 5.67%
Min: -16.47%

Aramark (ARMK) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Aramark (ARMK) and Darden Restaurants (DRI)
Metric	ARMK	DRI
ROE (TTM)	11.69%	55.43%
ROA (TTM)	4.24%	7.65%
Net Margin (TTM)	1.93%	8.85%
Operating Margin (TTM)	4.42%	9.86%
Gross Margin (TTM)	15.29%	21.66%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Aramark (ARMK) at 6.35% and Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 9.39% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Aramark (ARMK) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Aramark (ARMK) at 23.23% and Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 17.16% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Aramark (ARMK) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Aramark (ARMK) and Darden Restaurants (DRI)
Metric	ARMK	DRI
Revenue Growth (YoY)	6.35%	9.39%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.58%	8.00%
EPS Growth (YoY)	23.23%	17.16%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	17.09%	9.11%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Aramark (ARMK) at 1.29 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 0.30 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for DRI.

ARMK

Consumer Services industry group

1.29

Max: 3.41
Q3: 1.85
ARMK: 1.29
Median: 1.06
Q1: 0.72
Min: 0.22

DRI

Consumer Services industry group

0.30

Max: 3.41
Q3: 1.85
Median: 1.06
Q1: 0.72
DRI: 0.30
Min: 0.22

Aramark (ARMK) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Aramark (ARMK) at 1.87 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 4.15 uses more debt funding than most peers.

ARMK

Consumer Services industry group

1.87

Max: 6.12
Q3: 2.93
ARMK: 1.87
Median: 1.29
Q1: 0.37
Min: 0.01

DRI

Consumer Services industry group

4.15

Max: 6.12
DRI: 4.15
Q3: 2.93
Median: 1.29
Q1: 0.37
Min: 0.01

Aramark (ARMK) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Aramark (ARMK) and Darden Restaurants (DRI)
Metric	ARMK	DRI
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.29	0.30
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.87	4.15
Net Debt / EBITDA	4.12	3.91

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 2.68% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Aramark (ARMK) at 0.95% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, DRI the richer one.

ARMK

Consumer Services industry group

0.95%

Max: 4.10%
Q3: 1.82%
ARMK: 0.95%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

DRI

Consumer Services industry group

2.68%

Max: 4.10%
DRI: 2.68%
Q3: 1.82%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Aramark (ARMK) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Aramark (ARMK) at 32.52% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 59.42% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

ARMK

Consumer Services industry group

32.52%

Max: 89.80%
Q3: 36.83%
ARMK: 32.52%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

DRI

Consumer Services industry group

59.42%

Max: 89.80%
DRI: 59.42%
Q3: 36.83%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Aramark (ARMK) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Aramark (ARMK) and Darden Restaurants (DRI)
Metric	ARMK	DRI
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.95%	2.68%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	32.52%	59.42%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Aramark (ARMK) at 36.74 and Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 21.98 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

ARMK

Consumer Services industry group

36.74

Max: 71.70
Q3: 37.12
ARMK: 36.74
Median: 21.88
Q1: 13.00
Min: 5.72

DRI

Consumer Services industry group

21.98

Max: 71.70
Q3: 37.12
DRI: 21.98
Median: 21.88
Q1: 13.00
Min: 5.72

Aramark (ARMK) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Aramark (ARMK) at 0.70 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 1.92 prices around its industry’s middle — ARMK costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

ARMK

Consumer Services industry group

0.70

Max: 6.40
Q3: 3.01
Median: 1.54
Q1: 0.74
ARMK: 0.70
Min: 0.08

DRI

Consumer Services industry group

1.92

Max: 6.40
Q3: 3.01
DRI: 1.92
Median: 1.54
Q1: 0.74
Min: 0.08

Aramark (ARMK) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Aramark (ARMK) at 4.08 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 12.40 prices above its benchmark range — DRI looks rich relative to book.

ARMK

Consumer Services industry group

4.08

Max: 12.02
Q3: 5.58
ARMK: 4.08
Median: 2.37
Q1: 1.09
Min: -4.51

DRI

Consumer Services industry group

12.40

DRI: 12.40
Max: 12.02
Q3: 5.58
Median: 2.37
Q1: 1.09
Min: -4.51

Aramark (ARMK) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Aramark (ARMK) and Darden Restaurants (DRI)
Metric	ARMK	DRI
P/E Ratio (TTM)	36.74	21.98
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.70	1.92
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	4.08	12.40
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.70%	3.10%