Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Darling Ingredients Call Options (NYSE:DAR)

Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE:DAR) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock traders acquired 12,075 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 373% compared to the typical daily volume of 2,553 call options.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Randall C. Stuewe sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.12, for a total transaction of $1,042,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,117,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,222,470.20. The trade was a 1.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.07% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Darling Ingredients

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in Darling Ingredients in the fourth quarter worth about $94,211,000. No Street GP LP purchased a new position in Darling Ingredients during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $69,458,000. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in Darling Ingredients by 973.3% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,502,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,989,000 after acquiring an additional 1,362,137 shares during the period. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC lifted its stake in Darling Ingredients by 66.0% during the 2nd quarter. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC now owns 3,323,470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,092,000 after acquiring an additional 1,320,817 shares during the period. Finally, Harspring Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Darling Ingredients in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,680,000. 94.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on DAR shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Darling Ingredients from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $61.00 price objective on shares of Darling Ingredients in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Darling Ingredients from $45.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Zacks Research cut shares of Darling Ingredients from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Darling Ingredients from $45.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Darling Ingredients presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $55.60.

Darling Ingredients Stock Performance

NYSE:DAR traded up $2.12 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $57.33. 1,239,825 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,674,011. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $47.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.48. The firm has a market cap of $9.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 146.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 1.24. Darling Ingredients has a one year low of $26.00 and a one year high of $57.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

Darling Ingredients (NYSE:DAR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $1.71 billion for the quarter. Darling Ingredients had a return on equity of 2.36% and a net margin of 1.02%. Research analysts anticipate that Darling Ingredients will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.