Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE:DAR) Stock Has Average Price Target of $73.80

Shares of Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE:DAR) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $73.80.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on DAR. Weiss Ratings upgraded Darling Ingredients from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $80.00 target price on shares of Darling Ingredients in a report on Thursday, October 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Darling Ingredients from $82.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Darling Ingredients to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Darling Ingredients from $78.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd.

Darling Ingredients Price Performance

Darling Ingredients stock opened at $50.22 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.92 billion, a PE ratio of 9.73 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $61.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.50. 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 has a 52 week low of $31.65 and a 52 week high of $69.98.

Darling Ingredients (NYSE:DAR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.79 billion. Darling Ingredients had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 17.76%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.12 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Darling Ingredients will post 6.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Darling Ingredients

In other news, CAO Joseph Manzi sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 18,969 shares in the company, valued at $1,276,044.63. This trade represents a 5.01% 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, EVP Patrick McNutt sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.09, for a total transaction of $536,720.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 35,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,400,278.93. The trade was a 18.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,591 shares of company stock valued at $704,303. Corporate insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Darling Ingredients

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new position in Darling Ingredients during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. McCarley & Cook Financial Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Darling Ingredients during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Pension & Wealth Management Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Darling Ingredients during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Darling Ingredients during the 1st quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Jacobi Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Darling Ingredients during the third quarter worth about $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.44% of the company’s stock.

About Darling Ingredients

Darling Ingredients Inc (NYSE: DAR) is a global developer and producer of sustainable ingredients and renewable energy solutions. The company collects and transforms animal by-products, used cooking oil, food waste and other organic materials into value-added products, helping divert waste from landfills and recover materials for reuse.

Its products include fats, proteins, meals, collagen, gelatin and specialty ingredients used in animal feed, pet food, food, pharmaceuticals and industrial applications.