This is one of the largest casual dining restaurant operators worldwide, with operations in the United States and Canada and a total of 1,504 restaurants as of August 24, 2014. Darden operates restaurants under the Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, The Capital Grille, Eddie V’s and Yard House brand names. Management returns much of its free cash to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends. With consumers having extra cash to spend as gasoline prices continue to stay low, the stock makes good sense for investors.
A couple of analysts weighed in on Darden ahead of its earnings:
- Credit Suisse upgraded the stock to an Outperform rating from Neutral and raised its price target to $77 from $69.
- Oppenheimer upgraded Darden to a Buy rating with a $75 price target.
Shares of Darden were up 0.6% at $69.27 on Monday afternoon. The stock has a consensus analyst price target of $69.68 and a 52-week trading range of $43.56 to $70.38.
ALSO READ: 5 Analyst Stocks With 50% to 100% Upside Potential
Carnival Corp. (NYSE: CCL) is scheduled to report its fiscal second-quarter earnings before the markets open Tuesday as well. The consensus estimates call for $0.16 in EPS on $3.56 billion in revenue. In the fiscal second-quarter of last year, the company posted EPS of $0.10 and revenue of $3.63 billion.
The company weathered the storm of currency headwinds through the first part of 2015. This was in fact reflected in its earnings and the market’s response.
Carnival gave guidance for its second fiscal quarter as an increase of 3.5% to 4.5% in revenues. There is a consensus estimate of $3.66 billion in revenue.
Carnival has ordered nine additional cruise ships as part of its fleet replacement program. Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri will take care of five of the cruise ships, and German shipbuilder Meyer Werft will build the other four. Among its various brands, Carnival now operates 101 ships.
Analysts weighed in on Carnival prior to its earnings:
- Deutsche Bank upgraded Carnival to Buy from Hold and raised its price target to $55.30 from $51.
- Susquehanna raised its price target to $56 from $55.
Shares of Carnival were up 1.8% at $49.78, in a 52-week trading range $43.56 to $70.38. The stock has a consensus analyst price target of $52.35.
ALSO READ: 5 Stocks to Buy With Almost Perfect Balance Sheets
Are You Still Paying With a Debit Card?
The average American spends $17,274 on debit cards a year, and it’s a HUGE mistake. First, debit cards don’t have the same fraud protections as credit cards. Once your money is gone, it’s gone. But more importantly you can actually get something back from this spending every time you swipe.
Issuers are handing out wild bonuses right now. With some you can earn up to 5% back on every purchase. That’s like getting a 5% discount on everything you buy!
Our top pick is kind of hard to imagine. Not only does it pay up to 5% back, it also includes a $200 cash back reward in the first six months, a 0% intro APR, and…. $0 annual fee. It’s quite literally free money for any one that uses a card regularly. Click here to learn more!
Flywheel Publishing has partnered with CardRatings to provide coverage of credit card products. Flywheel Publishing and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
Our expert who first called NVIDIA in 2009 is predicting 2025 will see a historic AI breakthrough.
You can follow him investing $500,000 of his own money on our top AI stocks for free.