Darling Ingredients (NYSE:DAR) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.25 EPS

Darling Ingredients (NYSE:DAR) released its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.25, Zacks reports. The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.56 billion. Darling Ingredients had a return on equity of 2.36% and a net margin of 1.02%.The firm’s revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.16) EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Darling Ingredients’ conference call:

• Darling reported combined adjusted EBITDA of $406.8 million in Q1 2026 (Core Ingredients $255.6M; DGD $151.2M), a sharp improvement versus the prior-year quarter driven by margin expansion and operational execution.
• Diamond Green Diesel’s Q1 result included a one-time $97 million LCM inventory valuation benefit at the DGD entity, and Darling contributed ~$190 million of working capital to DGD that management expects will be returned in subsequent quarters.
• The feed segment posted EBITDA of $169 million (vs. $111M a year ago) with gross margin up to 25.3%, and the food/collagen business showed year?over?year sales growth and rising demand—supported by new applications and pending Nextida patents.
• Net debt (debt less cash) rose to about $4.0 billion and preliminary covenant leverage was 3.17x, although management reiterated a goal to reduce net debt toward ~$3.0 billion.
• Management guided Q2 Core Ingredients EBITDA to $260–$275 million, expects DGD volumes of ~320 million gallons in Q2, and sees improving renewables margins and cash flow as the RVO clarity supports higher feedstock prices.

Darling Ingredients Price Performance

Shares of DAR stock traded down $0.70 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $63.54. 540,848 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,890,953. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $57.96 and a 200 day moving average of $44.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. Darling Ingredients has a 52-week low of $29.15 and a 52-week high of $64.90. The company has a market cap of $10.08 billion, a PE ratio of 163.08 and a beta of 1.08.

Darling Ingredients News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Darling Ingredients this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings sharply beat expectations — Darling reported $0.83 EPS and net income of $134.3M vs. a loss a year ago, marking a clear operating turnaround that traders view as the main catalyst for the rally. Darling Ingredients Inc. Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/media coverage confirms beat and improving fundamentals — multiple outlets note the EPS beat and revenue growth (revenues +12% y/y), reinforcing investor confidence in the recovery narrative. Darling Ingredients tops earnings forecasts despite slight revenue miss
• Neutral Sentiment: Top-line roughly in line — Q1 sales (~$1.55B) were essentially in line with estimates, so the upside is driven more by margin/one-time improvements than a revenue surprise. Darling Ingredients (NYSE:DAR) Posts Q1 CY2026 Sales In Line With Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Near-term operating outlook mixed — management expects Q2 core ingredients EBITDA of $260M–$275M and warns RVO (renewable fuel) shifts will pressure renewables margins, so earnings momentum may moderate. Darling Ingredients anticipates Q2 core ingredients EBITDA of $260M-$275M as RVO shifts renewables margins
• Negative Sentiment: Fatality at Bastrop rendering plant — a worker was killed at the Bastrop facility and OSHA has opened a safety probe, creating potential legal, remediation and reputational costs that could weigh on the stock. Worker Killed at Bastrop Rendering Plant as OSHA Opens Safety Probe
• Negative Sentiment: Follow-up coverage highlights community and regulatory scrutiny — family statements and local reporting underscore the seriousness of the incident and potential for prolonged OSHA involvement. ‘We were still in shock’ | OSHA investigates fatal incident at Bastrop County factory; family seeks answers

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Randall C. Stuewe sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,117,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $58,222,470.20. This represents a 1.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Darling Ingredients

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DAR. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Darling Ingredients by 17.0% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 644,022 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,119,000 after acquiring an additional 93,408 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of Darling Ingredients by 10.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 600,777 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,768,000 after acquiring an additional 58,925 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth purchased a new stake in shares of Darling Ingredients during the 1st quarter worth about $205,000. M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in shares of Darling Ingredients by 11.2% during the 2nd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 8,384 shares of the company’s stock worth $318,000 after acquiring an additional 847 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Darling Ingredients by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 677,528 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,705,000 after acquiring an additional 32,553 shares in the last quarter. 94.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on DAR shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Darling Ingredients from $45.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Darling Ingredients from $59.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Darling Ingredients from $64.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Stephens increased their price target on Darling Ingredients from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Zacks Research raised Darling Ingredients from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $67.40.

Darling Ingredients Company Profile

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.