The Wall Street Journal-20080212-Earnings Digest Brief- Darden Restaurants Inc-

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Earnings Digest Brief: Darden Restaurants Inc.

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Darden Restaurants Inc. forecast fiscal-third-quarter profit above analysts' expectations amid positive same-store sales growth, despite hard economic times for the dining industry. Its shares were up 8% to $29.01 in 4 p.m. New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The Orlando, Fla., owner of chains such as Red Lobster and Olive Garden predicted earnings from continuing operations of 78 cents to 80 cents a share. Excluding costs and adjustments related to acquiring Rare Hospitality International Inc., the range was 83 cents to 85 cents a share. The mean estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial was for earnings of 77 cents.