Darling Ingredients (NYSE:DAR) Shares Down 5.4% – Here’s What Happened

Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE:DAR) traded down 5.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $64.10 and last traded at $64.21. 1,638,536 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 37% from the average daily volume of 2,612,290 shares. The stock had previously closed at $67.84.

Key Headlines Impacting Darling Ingredients

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

• Positive Sentiment: Darling reported strong second-quarter 2026 results, including $387.3 million in net income and $741.7 million in combined adjusted EBITDA. Diamond Green Diesel was a major contributor, with Darling’s share of adjusted EBITDA reaching approximately $389.2 million. Darling Ingredients second-quarter 2026 earnings
• Positive Sentiment: The board expanded Darling’s share-repurchase authorization to $1.0 billion, while the company agreed to sell approximately $150 million in production tax credits, supporting capital returns and liquidity. Darling Ingredients press release
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted supportive renewable-fuel policy, tight renewable identification number markets and stronger renewable-diesel economics. Zacks also upgraded DAR from “hold” to “strong buy,” adding to the positive momentum narrative. Renewable fuel policy and Darling Ingredients
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ recent price targets show a median of $72.50, indicating potential upside from recent trading levels, although targets vary materially and may already reflect the company’s improved earnings outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about rising costs, flat feedstock throughput and capacity constraints. Future Diamond Green Diesel performance through 2027 will also depend on renewable-fuel prices, policy clarity and other market inputs. Darling Ingredients earnings and capacity risks
• Negative Sentiment: Reported insider activity was weighted toward selling, including sales by senior executives. Institutional positioning was mixed, with several large funds reducing holdings while others added shares, potentially contributing to short-term volatility.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DAR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Darling Ingredients from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Darling Ingredients from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Darling Ingredients from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Darling Ingredients from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Darling Ingredients from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Darling Ingredients presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.00.

Darling Ingredients Stock Down 3.3%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.35 billion, a PE ratio of 17.67 and a beta of 1.02. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $59.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $58.24.

Darling Ingredients (NYSE:DAR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $1.01. The firm had revenue of $1.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. Darling Ingredients had a net margin of 9.13% and a return on equity of 12.98%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.08 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Darling Ingredients Inc. will post 6.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Darling Ingredients

In related news, EVP Patrick Mcnutt sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.09, for a total transaction of $536,720.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 35,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,400,278.93. This trade represents a 18.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Joseph Manzi sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.27, for a total transaction of $67,270.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 18,969 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,276,044.63. This represents a 5.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 10,591 shares of company stock worth $704,303 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Darling Ingredients

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Darling Ingredients by 17.0% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 644,022 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,119,000 after purchasing an additional 93,408 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Darling Ingredients by 10.9% in the first 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 during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth bought a new stake in shares of Darling Ingredients during the 1st quarter worth $205,000. M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 847 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Darling Ingredients by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 677,528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,705,000 after buying an additional 32,553 shares during the last quarter. 94.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.