DRI vs EAT vs CAKE Stock Comparison

Darden Restaurants, Brinker International and Cheesecake Factory Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
DRI Darden Restaurants Inc
$212.38 -0.7% 1M +13.9% 1Y
Market cap
$24.23B
P/E
20.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$13.37B
Div. yield
–
Full-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
4 wins
EAT Brinker International, Inc
$182.72 -13.4% 1M +44.6% 1Y
Market cap
$8.17B
P/E
16.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$5.81B
Div. yield
–
Full-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
6 wins
CAKE Cheesecake Factory Inc
$108.37 +3.8% 1M +93.8% 1Y
Market cap
$5.14B
P/E
28.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.88B
Div. yield
0.01%
Full-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Brinker International leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Brinker International 6, Darden Restaurants 4, Cheesecake Factory 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionDRIEATCAKELeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $24.23B $8.17B $5.14B DRI
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 20.5x 16.8x 28.8x EAT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 17.9x 13.2x 25.1x EAT
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +8.1% +7.9% +5.7% DRI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 8.8% 8.4% 4.6% DRI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 32.9% 59.4% 17.1% EAT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.1x 0.4x 1.2x EAT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.01% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +13.9% +44.6% +93.8% CAKE
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +7.9%/yr +32.6%/yr +20.7%/yr EAT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 27.9% 49.4% 39.7% DRI
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 48/100 79/100 50/100 EAT

Percentile Scorecard

DRIEATCAKE

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisDRIEATCAKE
Valuation 33 #34 of 50 67 #17 of 50 27 #37 of 50
Growth 26 #35 of 47 94 #4 of 47 70 #15 of 47
Profitability 80 #10 of 46 93 #4 of 46 60 #19 of 46
Financial Health 26 #38 of 51 54 #24 of 51 46 #28 of 51
Shareholder Returns 75 #9 of 33 88 #5 of 33 50 #17 of 33
Overall 48 79 50
  • DRI ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • EAT ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • CAKE ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodDRIEATCAKESPY
1 month -0.7%-13.4%+3.8% -1.0%
3 months +8.2%-2.2%+27.9% +2.9%
6 months +5.6%+31.8%+75.6% +6.4%
Year to date +15.4%+27.3%+114.7% +11.4%
1 year +13.9%+44.6%+93.8% +13.1%
3 years +49.5%+463.1%+256.9% +79.4%
3 years, per year +14.3%+78.0%+52.9% +21.5%
5 years +46.1%+309.5%+155.9% +67.7%
5 years, per year +7.9%+32.6%+20.7% +10.9%
10 years +236.7%+252.2%+115.2% +255.2%
10 years, per year +12.9%+13.4%+8.0% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureDRIEATCAKESPY
Volatility, 1Y 27.9%49.4%39.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 28.1%46.1%39.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.160.730.48 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.500.902.36 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -28.1%-50.7%-43.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -6.7%-28.1%-7.6% -2.5%
52-week high $227.72$254.01$117.29 $779.14
52-week low $169.21$102.29$43.14 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleDRIEATCAKE
P/E now vs peer median 20.4xmedian 20.6x 16.4xmedian 20.6x 28.3xmedian 20.6x
P/S now vs peer median 1.8xmedian 1.1x 1.3xmedian 1.1x 1.4xmedian 1.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 12.4xmedian 13.3x 9.6xmedian 13.3x 18.2xmedian 13.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 23.4xmedian 17.3x 13.8xmedian 17.3x 26.1xmedian 17.3x
P/B now vs peer median 11.6xmedian 3.1x 17.4xmedian 3.1x 10.4xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median 2.36median 1.04 0.24median 1.04 0.70median 1.04

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsDRIEATCAKE
Revenue $13.37B $5.81B $3.88B
Gross profit $4.46B $4.32B –
Operating income $1.56B $619.90M $204.16M
Net income $1.18B $487.00M $178.62M
Free cash flow $1.03B $557.50M $206.30M
EPS (diluted) $10.33 $10.87 $3.68
Cash & equivalents $220.50M $110.00M $195.17M
Total debt $2.62B $448.00M $562.90M
Shares (diluted) 114.40M 44.80M 48.49M
Enterprise value $23.33B $7.95B $4.31B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricDRIEATCAKE
P/E 20.4x 16.4x 28.3x
P/FCF 23.4x 13.8x 26.1x
P/Operating cash flow 13.4x 9.8x 15.2x
P/S 1.8x 1.3x 1.4x
P/B 11.6x 17.4x 10.4x
P/Tangible book 33.3x 18.0x 20.2x
EV/EBITDA 12.4x 9.6x 18.2x
EV/EBIT 16.9x 13.0x 28.2x
EV/Revenue 2.0x 1.4x 1.5x
EV/FCF 25.7x 14.4x 27.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 14.8x 10.2x 16.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.36 0.24 0.70

Growth

14 metrics
MetricDRIEATCAKE
Revenue growth (1Y) 8.1% 7.9% 5.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 7.5% 12.0% 5.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -32.7% 7.1% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -7.5% 13.1% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 9.1% 21.1% 3.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 8.9% 62.5% 24.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 7.5% 27.1% 12.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 6.3% 68.1% 23.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 10.5% 30.8% 11.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 8.6% 68.3% 40.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 0.7% 16.3% 14.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.7% 45.5% –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -4.4% 34.8% 57.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 10.0% 98.4% –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricDRIEATCAKE
Gross margin 33.4% 74.4% –
EBITDA margin 16.0% 14.4% 8.2%
Operating margin 11.7% 10.7% 5.3%
Pretax margin 10.2% 10.0% 5.1%
Net margin 8.8% 8.4% 4.6%
FCF margin 7.7% 9.6% 5.3%
Operating cash flow margin 13.4% 13.6% 9.1%
Return on equity 55.3% 114.6% 36.5%
Return on assets 9.1% 17.4% 5.4%
Return on invested capital 32.9% 59.4% 17.1%
Return on capital employed 15.9% 29.3% 7.9%
Asset turnover 1.0x 2.1x 1.2x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.5x 1.6x 2.0x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% 0.6% 0.7%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricDRIEATCAKE
Debt / assets 19.8% 15.9% 17.1%
Debt / equity 1.3x 1.0x 1.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.1x 0.4x 1.2x
Debt / FCF 2.5x 0.8x 2.7x
Liabilities / assets 84.4% 84.2% 84.2%
Equity / assets 15.6% 15.8% 15.8%
Interest coverage – 15.3x –
Current ratio 0.3x 0.5x 0.6x
Quick ratio 0.1x 0.3x 0.4x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.2x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 2.46 4.92 3.08

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricDRIEATCAKE
Dividend yield 2.9% – 1.1%
Net buyback yield 2.8% 5.7% 0.6%
Shareholder yield 5.7% 5.7% 1.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 31.0%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 26.8%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 4.0%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusDRIEATCAKE
Forward P/E 17.9xFY2026 13.2xFY2027 25.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $11.87FY2026 $13.83FY2027 $4.31FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +11.6%FY2026 +28.8%FY2027 +14.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +7.9% -0.6% +11.8%
Revenue, next fiscal year $14.53BFY2026 $5.98BFY2027 $3.80BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +10.0%FY2026 +3.0%FY2027 +1.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -3.5% +12.4% +7.9%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersDRIEATCAKE
Held by institutions 97.6% 100.0% 100.0%
Institutions holding 1,083 507 345
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.9% -1.4% -0.2%
Institutions buying 578 279 161
Institutions selling 325 160 118
Buyers to sellers 1.78 1.74 1.36

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

DRIEATCAKE
DRI 1.00 0.49 0.62
EAT 0.49 1.00 0.53
CAKE 0.62 0.53 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, DRI, EAT and CAKE?

Darden Restaurants (DRI) is the largest by market capitalisation: Darden Restaurants (DRI) $24.23B, Brinker International (EAT) $8.17B, Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) $5.14B.

Which stock is cheaper, DRI, EAT and CAKE?

Brinker International (EAT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Darden Restaurants (DRI) 20.5x, Brinker International (EAT) 16.8x, Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) 28.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Brinker International (EAT) is cheapest (Darden Restaurants (DRI) 17.9x, Brinker International (EAT) 13.2x, Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) 25.1x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Darden Restaurants (DRI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Darden Restaurants (DRI) +8.1%, Brinker International (EAT) +7.9%, Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) +5.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

Darden Restaurants (DRI) has the highest net margin (Darden Restaurants (DRI) 8.8%, Brinker International (EAT) 8.4%, Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) 4.6%). On return on invested capital, Brinker International (EAT) leads (Darden Restaurants (DRI) 32.9%, Brinker International (EAT) 59.4%, Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) 17.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) returned the most: Darden Restaurants (DRI) +13.9%, Brinker International (EAT) +44.6%, Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) +93.8%. Over five years, Brinker International (EAT) compounded fastest (Darden Restaurants (DRI) +7.9%/yr, Brinker International (EAT) +32.6%/yr, Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) +20.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Darden Restaurants (DRI) 0.00%, Brinker International (EAT) 0.00%, Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) 0.01%. Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Brinker International (EAT) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Darden Restaurants (DRI) has been the steadiest (Darden Restaurants (DRI) 27.9%, Brinker International (EAT) 49.4%, Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) 39.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, DRI, EAT and CAKE?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Brinker International (EAT) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.