Chipotle Mexican Grill vs Darden Restaurants (CMG vs DRI)
Side by side from their SEC filings: revenue, margins, growth, returns and valuation, plus short interest, insider activity and institutional ownership.
Darden Restaurants has grown revenue faster over the last 4 fiscal years (+67.8% cumulative vs +58.0%). Chipotle Mexican Grill runs the higher operating margin (16.2% vs 11.3%). Darden Restaurants trades at the lower trailing P/E (19.6x vs 32.3x).
About Chipotle Mexican Grill
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc operates a chain of restaurants offering a menu that includes burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, tacos, and salads. The company owns and operates thousands of restaurants primarily in the United States, with additional locations internationally, serving customers who seek responsibly sourced, high-quality food without artificial additives. Chipotle emphasizes food safety, sustainability, and digital innovation to enhance the customer experience and supports employee growth and inclusivity within its workforce.
About Darden Restaurants
Darden Restaurants, Inc. operates full-service restaurants in the United States and Canada under various brand names including Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Chuy’s, Yard House, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, Bahama Breeze, and The Capital Burger. The company owns and operates over 2,100 restaurants and also franchises additional locations internationally. Its restaurants offer a range of dining experiences from casual to fine dining, serving a variety of cuisines such as Italian, steakhouse, Mexican, and seafood.
Head to head (CMG FY2025 vs DRI FY2025)
| Metric | CMGFY2025 | DRIFY2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $11.93B | $12.08B |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 5.4% | 6.0% |
| Gross margin | — | — |
| Operating margin | 16.2% | 11.3% |
| Net margin | 12.9% | 8.7% |
| Net income | $1.54B | $1.05B |
| Diluted EPS | $1.14 | $8.86 |
| FCF margin | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| ROE | 54.3% | 45.4% |
| Debt / equity | 0.0× | 0.9× |
| Market cap | $45.22B | $23.39B |
| P/E (TTM) | 32.3× | 19.6× |
Fundamentals are from each company’s SEC filings (CMG FY2025, DRI FY2025). P/E and market cap are derived from recent market prices and update daily.
Five-year trend (as reported)
| Revenue | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CMG | $7.55B | $8.63B | $9.87B | $11.31B | $11.93B |
| DRI | $7.20B | $9.63B | $10.49B | $11.39B | $12.08B |
Peer standing
Where each company ranks among the 42 restaurant companies, on the same scale. Each figure is ranked only against peers that report it. Percentiles describe position in the distribution, not a rating.
| Metric | CMG | DRI |
|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 16.2%85th percentile of 40 | 11.3%79th percentile of 40 |
| Net margin | 12.9%93rd percentile of 42 | 8.7%83rd percentile of 42 |
| FCF margin | 12.1%83rd percentile of 42 | 8.8%78th percentile of 42 |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | +5.4%51st percentile of 42 | +6.0%54th percentile of 42 |
| ROE | 54.3%96th percentile of 29 | 45.4%93rd percentile of 29 |
| P/E (TTM) | 32.3×73rd percentile of 27 | 19.6×27th percentile of 27 |
| Debt / equity | 0.00×Lowest of 22 | 0.92×57th percentile of 22 |
| Short interest (days to cover) | 2.29d28th percentile of 41 | 3.37d38th percentile of 41 |
Short interest
| FINRA settlement data | CMG | DRI |
|---|---|---|
| Shares sold short | 51.9M | 6.5M |
| Change vs prior settlement | +3.8% | -6.7% |
| Days to cover | 2.29 | 3.37 |
| As of settlement | 2026-06-30 | 2026-06-30 |
Source: FINRA Consolidated Short Interest. FINRA is the owner and source of the FINRA-supplied data; republishing or redistributing it is not permitted. Not presented as a percentage of float. No FINRA endorsement of this product is implied.
Insider activity (last 90 days)
| Form 4 open-market activity | CMG | DRI |
|---|---|---|
| Buys | — | 0 |
| Sells | — | 1 ($2.0M) |
Open-market purchases and sales reported on SEC Form 4 (grants, exercises and tax withholding excluded). For context, about 16% of covered companies saw any open-market insider buy in a 90-day window.
Held by the same investors
7 tracked 13F managers hold both Chipotle Mexican Grill and Darden Restaurants as of their latest quarterly filings: AQR Capital Management, Bridgewater Associates, Citadel Advisors, D. E. Shaw, Gotham Asset Management, Millennium Management, Two Sigma Investments. See which superinvestors hold your own portfolio with the smart money checker.
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Data sourced from SEC EDGAR (public domain). Figures are as-reported and may be unaudited or restated; verify against the source filings before relying on them. Comparisons are descriptive (higher or lower on a reported figure), not a rating or a recommendation. Informational only. Not investment advice.