Darling Ingredients (NYSE:DAR) Stock Price Up 3.9% – Should You Buy?

Shares of Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE:DAR) traded up 3.9% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $64.32 and last traded at $63.81. Approximately 252,662 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 2,639,745 shares. The stock had previously closed at $61.39.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Darling Ingredients from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Darling Ingredients from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Darling Ingredients from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Darling Ingredients from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Darling Ingredients from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Darling Ingredients presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.00.

Darling Ingredients Trading Up 2.2%

The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $60.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.77. The company has a market capitalization of $9.90 billion, a PE ratio of 16.91 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

Darling Ingredients (NYSE:DAR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $2.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $1.01. Darling Ingredients had a return on equity of 12.98% and a net margin of 9.13%.The company had revenue of $1.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.08 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Darling Ingredients Inc. will post 6.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Darling Ingredients

In other news, EVP Nicholas James Kemphaus sold 1,591 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.05, for a total value of $100,312.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 35,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,212,235.35. This represents a 4.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Patrick Mcnutt sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.09, for a total value of $536,720.00. Following the completion of 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,591 shares of company stock valued at $704,303. Insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Darling Ingredients in the second quarter worth about $851,450,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Darling Ingredients by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,394,342 shares of the company’s stock valued at $554,196,000 after acquiring an additional 512,219 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Darling Ingredients by 5,391.4% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 10,054,504 shares of the company’s stock valued at $549,177,000 after acquiring an additional 9,871,409 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Darling Ingredients by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,066,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $498,927,000 after purchasing an additional 47,565 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in Darling Ingredients in the second quarter worth $168,348,000. 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.