Darden Restaurants, Inc., (DRI) announced the company now projects fiscal 2016 adjusted net earnings per share to be in the range of $3.48 to $3.52, an increase of between 36% and 38% from fiscal 2015, on a 52-week basis. The company said this reflects the expectation that its combined U.S. same-restaurant sales growth in the fiscal year will be 3.0% to 3.5%. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect the company to report profit per share of $3.49. Analysts’ estimates typically exclude special items.