Darling Ingredients (NYSE:DAR) Trading 5.4% Higher – Still a Buy?

Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE:DAR) shares were up 5.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $36.75 and last traded at $35.49. Approximately 533,753 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 66% from the average daily volume of 1,576,558 shares. The stock had previously closed at $33.66.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on DAR. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Darling Ingredients from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Darling Ingredients from $45.00 to $43.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Darling Ingredients from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Darling Ingredients from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Darling Ingredients presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.44.

Darling Ingredients Stock Up 8.3 %

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $37.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $37.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.51 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Darling Ingredients (NYSE:DAR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.29). The company had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.48 billion. Darling Ingredients had a net margin of 4.42% and a return on equity of 5.98%. The firm’s revenue was down 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.77 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Darling Ingredients Inc. will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Darling Ingredients

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Darling Ingredients by 173.9% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 830 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in shares of Darling Ingredients by 75.0% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 901 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Darling Ingredients by 38.0% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,046 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Darling Ingredients in the third quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in Darling Ingredients by 69.2% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 758 shares during the last quarter. 94.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Darling Ingredients

Darling Ingredients Inc develops, produces, and sells natural ingredients from edible and inedible bio-nutrients in North America, Europe, China, South America, and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Feed Ingredients, Food Ingredients, and Fuel Ingredients. It offers ingredients and customized specialty solutions for customers in the pharmaceutical, food, pet food, feed, industrial, fuel, bioenergy, and fertilizer industries.