Darling Ingredients (NYSE:DAR) Sets New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE:DAR) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $64.93 and last traded at $63.43, with a volume of 2010 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $64.65.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on DAR shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on Darling Ingredients from $58.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Darling Ingredients from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $64.00 price objective on shares of Darling Ingredients in a report on Friday, February 13th. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $61.00 price target on shares of Darling Ingredients in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Darling Ingredients from $49.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Darling Ingredients presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $60.70.

Darling Ingredients Trading Down 1.8%

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $53.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $41.14. The company has a market capitalization of $10.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 162.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Darling Ingredients (NYSE:DAR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter. Darling Ingredients had a net margin of 1.02% and a return on equity of 2.36%. The firm had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter. On average, equities analysts expect that Darling Ingredients Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Darling Ingredients

In related news, CEO Randall C. Stuewe sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.12, for a total value of $1,042,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,117,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $58,222,470.20. This trade represents a 1.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Darling Ingredients

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Darling Ingredients by 17.0% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 644,022 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,119,000 after purchasing an additional 93,408 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 58,925 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth bought a new position in Darling Ingredients in the 1st quarter valued at $205,000. Prudential Financial Inc. boosted its position in Darling Ingredients by 87.7% in the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 26,713 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,121,000 after buying an additional 12,480 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp increased its stake in shares of Darling Ingredients by 11.2% in the 2nd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 8,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $318,000 after buying an additional 847 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.44% of the company’s stock.

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.