DRI vs. PSO: Darden Restaurants vs. Pearson Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Pearson (PSO) 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

Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Pearson (PSO) both fall under the Consumer Services industry group, but DRI is classified in Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure while PSO is classified in Diversified Consumer Services.

Darden Restaurants (DRI) trades as ordinary local shares, while Pearson (PSO) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Pearson (PSO)
Profile Item	DRI	PSO
Name	Darden Restaurants, Inc.	Pearson plc Sponsored ADR
Country/Region	United States	United Kingdom
GICS Sector	Consumer Discretionary	Consumer Discretionary
GICS Industry Group	Consumer Services	Consumer Services
GICS Industry	Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure	Diversified Consumer Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Restaurants	Education Services
Market Capitalization	25.61 billion USD	10.38 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	May 9, 1995	November 18, 1996
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DRI

PSO

GSPC

Darden Restaurants (DRI) vs. Pearson (PSO), 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 Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Pearson (PSO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Pearson (PSO)
Metric	DRI	PSO
Total Return (1Y)	33.36%	34.42%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	19.59%	15.38%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	11.78%	17.99%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DRI

PSO

GSPC

Darden Restaurants (DRI) vs. Pearson (PSO), 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 Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Pearson (PSO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Pearson (PSO)
Metric	DRI	PSO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	27.88%	25.07%
Beta (5Y)	0.63	0.43
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-26.96%	-30.73%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.09M	698.84K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

DRI and PSO 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 Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Pearson (PSO)
Metric	DRI	PSO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.04	1.20
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.57	1.67

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 55.43% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Pearson (PSO) at 9.16% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for DRI.

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%

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

9.16%

Max: 76.75%
Q3: 34.07%
Median: 15.90%
PSO: 9.16%
Q1: 3.23%
Min: -40.61%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 8.85% and Pearson (PSO) at 8.78% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

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%

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

8.78%

Max: 25.52%
Q3: 12.95%
PSO: 8.78%
Median: 6.63%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -14.36%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 9.86% and Pearson (PSO) at 13.32% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

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%

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

13.32%

Max: 49.05%
Q3: 24.35%
Median: 14.23%
PSO: 13.32%
Q1: 5.67%
Min: -16.47%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Pearson (PSO)
Metric	DRI	PSO
ROE (TTM)	55.43%	9.16%
ROA (TTM)	7.65%	5.09%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.85%	8.78%
Operating Margin (TTM)	9.86%	13.32%
Gross Margin (TTM)	21.66%	52.04%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 9.39% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Pearson (PSO) at 0.70% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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

EPS Growth

Both Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 17.16% and Pearson (PSO) at -20.16% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Pearson (PSO)
Metric	DRI	PSO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	9.39%	0.70%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.00%	-2.35%
EPS Growth (YoY)	17.16%	-20.16%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	9.11%	15.86%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Pearson (PSO) at 2.00 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 0.30 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

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

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

2.00

Max: 3.41
PSO: 2.00
Q3: 1.85
Median: 1.06
Q1: 0.72
Min: 0.22

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Pearson (PSO) at 0.52 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 4.15 uses more debt funding than most peers.

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

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

0.52

Max: 6.12
Q3: 2.93
Median: 1.29
PSO: 0.52
Q1: 0.37
Min: 0.01

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Pearson (PSO)
Metric	DRI	PSO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.30	2.00
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	4.15	0.52
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.91	2.35

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 2.68% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Pearson (PSO) at 1.46% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, DRI the richer one.

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%

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

1.46%

Max: 4.10%
Q3: 1.82%
PSO: 1.46%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 59.42% and Pearson (PSO) at 51.09% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

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%

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

51.09%

Max: 89.80%
PSO: 51.09%
Q3: 36.83%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Pearson (PSO)
Metric	DRI	PSO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.68%	1.46%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	59.42%	51.09%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 21.98 and Pearson (PSO) at 25.78 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

25.78

Max: 71.70
Q3: 37.12
PSO: 25.78
Median: 21.88
Q1: 13.00
Min: 5.72

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 1.92 and Pearson (PSO) at 2.86 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

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

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

2.86

Max: 6.40
Q3: 3.01
PSO: 2.86
Median: 1.54
Q1: 0.74
Min: 0.08

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Pearson (PSO) at 2.38 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.

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

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

2.38

Max: 12.02
Q3: 5.58
PSO: 2.38
Median: 2.37
Q1: 1.09
Min: -4.51

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Pearson (PSO)
Metric	DRI	PSO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	21.98	25.78
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.92	2.86
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	12.40	2.38
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.10%	8.08%