Darling Ingredients (NYSE:DAR) Reaches New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE:DAR)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $62.38 and last traded at $61.16, with a volume of 659140 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $59.28.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on DAR. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Darling Ingredients from $45.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $61.00 price objective on shares of Darling Ingredients in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $64.00 price objective on Darling Ingredients in a report on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Darling Ingredients from $45.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Darling Ingredients from $49.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Darling Ingredients has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $57.90.

Darling Ingredients Price Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average is $50.91 and its 200 day moving average is $40.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market cap of $9.73 billion, a PE ratio of 157.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.24.

Darling Ingredients (NYSE:DAR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Darling Ingredients had a net margin of 1.02% and a return on equity of 2.36%. The company had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Darling Ingredients Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Darling Ingredients

In related news, CEO Randall C. Stuewe sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.12, for a total transaction of $1,042,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,117,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,222,470.20. This represents a 1.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Darling Ingredients by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,394,342 shares of the company’s stock worth $554,196,000 after buying an additional 512,219 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Darling Ingredients by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,019,406 shares of the company’s stock valued at $288,704,000 after buying an additional 242,857 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC lifted its position in Darling Ingredients by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 5,122,104 shares of the company’s stock worth $158,119,000 after acquiring an additional 287,665 shares in the last quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC lifted its position in Darling Ingredients by 66.0% during the 2nd quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC now owns 3,323,470 shares of the company’s stock worth $126,092,000 after acquiring an additional 1,320,817 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Davis Selected Advisers boosted its holdings in Darling Ingredients by 15.8% in the 4th quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 2,842,306 shares of the company’s stock worth $102,324,000 after acquiring an additional 388,366 shares during the period. 94.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Darling Ingredients

Darling Ingredients Inc (NYSE: DAR) is a global leader in converting edible and inedible bio-nutrient streams into sustainable food, feed ingredients, renewable fuels and specialty products. Founded in 1882 and headquartered in Irving, Texas, the company builds on more than a century of experience in animal rendering and by-product recycling. Over time, Darling has expanded its capabilities beyond traditional rendering to include advanced processing technologies that support a circular economy and reduce waste from food and agricultural industries.

The company’s core operations revolve around four primary segments: Feed Ingredients & Services, Food & Nutrition, Fuel Ingredients & Services, and Specialty Ingredients.