DRI vs. SBUX: Darden Restaurants vs. Starbucks Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Starbucks (SBUX) 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 Starbucks (SBUX) 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 Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Profile Item	DRI	SBUX
Name	Darden Restaurants, Inc.	Starbucks Corp.
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	25.61 billion USD	120.18 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	May 9, 1995	June 26, 1992
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DRI

SBUX

GSPC

Darden Restaurants (DRI) vs. Starbucks (SBUX), 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 Starbucks (SBUX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	DRI	SBUX
Total Return (1Y)	33.36%	31.93%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	19.59%	4.92%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	11.78%	1.66%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DRI

SBUX

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	DRI	SBUX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	27.88%	27.71%
Beta (5Y)	0.63	0.99
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-26.96%	-39.80%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.09M	7.66M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

DRI and SBUX 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 Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	DRI	SBUX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.04	1.00
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.57	1.62

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Darden Restaurants (DRI) earns 55.43% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Starbucks (SBUX) has no ROE this period.

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%

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

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

Darden Restaurants (DRI) vs. Starbucks (SBUX): SBUX does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; DRI is benchmarked against the Consumer Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 8.85% and Starbucks (SBUX) at 6.67% 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%

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

6.67%

Max: 25.52%
Q3: 12.95%
SBUX: 6.67%
Median: 6.63%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -14.36%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 9.86% and Starbucks (SBUX) at 12.76% 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%

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

12.76%

Max: 49.05%
Q3: 24.35%
Median: 14.23%
SBUX: 12.76%
Q1: 5.67%
Min: -16.47%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	DRI	SBUX
ROE (TTM)	55.43%	--
ROA (TTM)	7.65%	8.56%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.85%	6.67%
Operating Margin (TTM)	9.86%	12.76%
Gross Margin (TTM)	21.66%	22.43%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Only one side can be read here: Darden Restaurants (DRI) reports revenue growth of 9.39%, ranked against its industry; Starbucks (SBUX) has no revenue growth figure this period.

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

EPS Growth

Both Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 17.16% and Starbucks (SBUX) at 35.58% 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. Starbucks (SBUX): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	DRI	SBUX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	9.39%	--
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.00%	--
EPS Growth (YoY)	17.16%	35.58%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	9.11%	-14.85%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Starbucks (SBUX) at 0.76 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.

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

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

0.76

Max: 3.41
Q3: 1.85
Median: 1.06
SBUX: 0.76
Q1: 0.72
Min: 0.22

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Darden Restaurants (DRI) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 4.15 against its industry range, while Starbucks (SBUX) reports no figure this period.

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

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

Max: 6.12
Q3: 2.93
Median: 1.29
Q1: 0.37
Min: 0.01
SBUX: --

Darden Restaurants (DRI) vs. Starbucks (SBUX): SBUX does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; DRI is benchmarked against the Consumer Services industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	DRI	SBUX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.30	0.76
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	4.15	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.91	3.24

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 2.68% and Starbucks (SBUX) at 2.35% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

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%

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

2.35%

Max: 4.10%
SBUX: 2.35%
Q3: 1.82%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Starbucks (SBUX) reports payout ratio above 100% at 142.77%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Darden Restaurants (DRI) reports 59.42%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

142.77%

SBUX: 142.77%
Max: 89.80%
Q3: 36.83%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	DRI	SBUX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.68%	2.35%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	59.42%	142.77%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Darden Restaurants (DRI) at 21.98 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Starbucks (SBUX) at 47.70 sits in the richer quartile — SBUX needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

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

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

47.70

Max: 71.70
SBUX: 47.70
Q3: 37.12
Median: 21.88
Q1: 13.00
Min: 5.72

Darden Restaurants (DRI) vs. Starbucks (SBUX): 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 Starbucks (SBUX) at 3.17 sits in the pricier quartile — SBUX costs more per dollar of sales.

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

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

3.17

Max: 6.40
SBUX: 3.17
Q3: 3.01
Median: 1.54
Q1: 0.74
Min: 0.08

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Starbucks (SBUX) reports a negative P/B ratio of -15.67, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Darden Restaurants (DRI) reports 12.40, ranking against industry peers normally.

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

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

-15.67

Max: 12.02
Q3: 5.58
Median: 2.37
Q1: 1.09
Min: -4.51
SBUX: -15.67

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	DRI	SBUX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	21.98	47.70
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.92	3.17
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	12.40	-15.67
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.10%	2.65%