CMG vs. DRI: Chipotle Mexican Grill vs. Darden Restaurants Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) 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

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) 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 Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) and Darden Restaurants (DRI)
Profile Item	CMG	DRI
Name	Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.	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	43.55 billion USD	25.61 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 26, 2006	May 9, 1995
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CMG

DRI

GSPC

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) 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

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) and Darden Restaurants (DRI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) and Darden Restaurants (DRI)
Metric	CMG	DRI
Total Return (1Y)	16.72%	33.36%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-5.20%	19.59%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-0.33%	11.78%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CMG

DRI

GSPC

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) 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

Loading price history…

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) and Darden Restaurants (DRI)
Metric	CMG	DRI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	40.86%	27.88%
Beta (5Y)	0.94	0.63
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-59.86%	-26.96%
Avg. Volume (3M)	18.02M	1.09M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CMG 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 Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) and Darden Restaurants (DRI)
Metric	CMG	DRI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.30	1.04
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.46	1.57

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) at 48.52% and Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 55.43% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

CMG

Consumer Services industry group

48.52%

Max: 76.75%
CMG: 48.52%
Q3: 34.07%
Median: 15.90%
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%

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their ROE against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) at 10.83% 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.

CMG

Consumer Services industry group

10.83%

Max: 25.52%
Q3: 12.95%
CMG: 10.83%
Median: 6.63%
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%

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their net margin against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) at 14.13% and Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 9.86% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

CMG

Consumer Services industry group

14.13%

Max: 49.05%
Q3: 24.35%
Median: 14.23%
CMG: 14.13%
Q1: 5.67%
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%

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) and Darden Restaurants (DRI)
Metric	CMG	DRI
ROE (TTM)	48.52%	55.43%
ROA (TTM)	12.50%	7.65%
Net Margin (TTM)	10.83%	8.85%
Operating Margin (TTM)	14.13%	9.86%
Gross Margin (TTM)	39.31%	21.66%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) at 5.41% 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.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) at 2.70% 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.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) and Darden Restaurants (DRI)
Metric	CMG	DRI
Revenue Growth (YoY)	5.41%	9.39%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	11.36%	8.00%
EPS Growth (YoY)	2.70%	17.16%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	21.17%	9.11%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) at 0.81 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.

CMG

Consumer Services industry group

0.81

Max: 3.41
Q3: 1.85
Median: 1.06
CMG: 0.81
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

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) at 2.28 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 4.15 uses more debt funding than most peers.

CMG

Consumer Services industry group

2.28

Max: 6.12
Q3: 2.93
CMG: 2.28
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

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) 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 Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) and Darden Restaurants (DRI)
Metric	CMG	DRI
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.81	0.30
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.28	4.15
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.08	3.91

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Darden Restaurants (DRI) reports a yield of 2.68%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CMG

Consumer Services industry group

0.00%

Max: 4.10%
Q3: 1.82%
CMG: 0.00%
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%

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Darden Restaurants (DRI) reports a payout of 59.42%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CMG

Consumer Services industry group

0.00%

Max: 89.80%
Q3: 36.83%
CMG: 0.00%
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%

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) and Darden Restaurants (DRI)
Metric	CMG	DRI
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	2.68%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	59.42%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) at 32.18 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.

CMG

Consumer Services industry group

32.18

Max: 71.70
Q3: 37.12
CMG: 32.18
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

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 1.92 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) at 3.43 sits in the pricier quartile — CMG costs more per dollar of sales.

CMG

Consumer Services industry group

3.43

Max: 6.40
CMG: 3.43
Q3: 3.01
Median: 1.54
Q1: 0.74
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

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Measured against book value, both Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) at 17.74 and Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 12.40 look expensive — each P/B ratio sits above its industry’s benchmark range.

CMG

Consumer Services industry group

17.74

CMG: 17.74
Max: 12.02
Q3: 5.58
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

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) vs. Darden Restaurants (DRI): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) and Darden Restaurants (DRI)
Metric	CMG	DRI
P/E Ratio (TTM)	32.18	21.98
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.43	1.92
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	17.74	12.40
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.72%	3.10%