Darling Ingredients (NYSE:DAR) Trading Down 5.4% – Time to Sell?

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

More Darling Ingredients News

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

Several research firms have recently weighed in on DAR. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Darling Ingredients from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target 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. 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. Zacks Research raised shares of Darling Ingredients from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Darling Ingredients from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.00.

Darling Ingredients Trading Down 3.3%

The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $59.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market cap of $10.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.67 and a beta of 1.02.

Darling Ingredients (NYSE:DAR) last posted 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. Darling Ingredients had a net margin of 9.13% and a return on equity of 12.98%. The firm had revenue of $1.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.08 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Darling Ingredients Inc. will post 6.98 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Darling Ingredients

In related news, EVP Patrick Mcnutt sold 8,000 shares of the business’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 value of $536,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 35,777 shares in the company, valued at $2,400,278.93. The trade was a 18.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Charles L. Adair acquired 1,000 shares of Darling Ingredients stock in a transaction on Friday, July 31st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $60.97 per share, for a total transaction of $60,970.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 51,690 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,151,539.30. This represents a 1.97% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,591 shares of company stock worth $704,303. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Darling Ingredients

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DAR. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Darling Ingredients by 17.0% during the 1st 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 during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position 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 buying an additional 58,925 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth bought a new stake in shares of Darling Ingredients during the first quarter worth approximately $205,000. M&T Bank Corp lifted its holdings in Darling Ingredients by 11.2% in the second 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. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Darling Ingredients by 5.0% in the second 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 period. 94.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.