Should I Buy DAR? DAR 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Darling Ingredients Inc (DAR) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Hold

Latest Price

45.900

1 Day change

4.27%

52 Week Range

47.260

Analysis Updated At

2026/01/28

DAR is NOT a good buy right now at ~44.02 for a beginner long-term investor who wants to enter immediately. The trend is bullish, but the stock is technically overheated (RSI extremely overbought), sitting near resistance, with no proprietary buy signals today and notable insider selling. Net: hold off on new buying at this price.

Technical Analysis

Trend is bullish but stretched. Moving averages are strongly positive (SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200), confirming an uptrend. However, RSI_6 is 83.735 (overbought), which often precedes a cooldown/pullback. MACD histogram is positive (0.385) but contracting, suggesting upside momentum is slowing. Key levels: pivot/support ~41.56 (Pivot), resistance near 45.30 (R2) with first resistance ~43.87 (R1) already exceeded. Pattern-based projection provided also leans weak over the next month (-4.23%). Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals: **Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals** - [AI Stock Picker](module://ai_stock_pick): No signal on given stock today. - [SwingMax](module://swingmax): No signal on given stock recently.

Options Data

Bullish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bullish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Options positioning is bullish-leaning: open interest put/call ratio (0.23) and volume put/call ratio (0.16) indicate call-heavy activity and relatively low demand for downside hedges. Implied volatility is elevated (30D IV ~46.71) with a high IV percentile (80), implying the options market is pricing in sizable moves and/or risk around upcoming catalysts (notably earnings on 2026-02-24). Today’s option volume is below its 30D average (today vs avg ~76%), so sentiment is positive but not showing a fresh surge in activity.

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

- Analyst sentiment has improved: multiple upgrades/target raises tied to a better biofuel margin environment and improving ag/biofuel conditions.
- Upcoming earnings (2026-02-24 pre-market) could act as a catalyst if margins and biofuel commentary confirm the 2026–2027 improvement thesis.
- Options market skew is bullish (very low put/call ratios), consistent with constructive sentiment.

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

- Technical overheating: RSI is extremely overbought and MACD momentum is contracting, increasing the odds of a near-term pullback from current levels.
- Insiders are selling, with selling amount up ~139.8% over the last month—this is a meaningful sentiment headwind.
- No recent news flow to support an immediate breakout catalyst this week.
- Short-term statistical trend estimate provided suggests mild weakness over the next month (-4.23%).

Financial Performance

Latest reported quarter: 2025/Q3. Growth trend was positive: Revenue $1.564B (+9.99% YoY), Net Income $19.36M (+14.24% YoY), EPS $0.12 (+9.09% YoY). Profitability improved notably with Gross Margin 16.81 (+25.82% YoY). Overall, the quarter shows improving fundamentals and margin expansion—supportive for a long-term thesis.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Recent Wall Street trend is positive: TD Cowen upgraded to Buy with a $45 target (2025-12-02), BofA reiterated Buy and raised target to $50 (2025-11-03), and JPMorgan reiterated Overweight while raising target to $46 (2026-01-21). Pros: consensus is leaning bullish on improving biofuel/ag margin dynamics into 2026–2027, with targets implying modest-to-decent upside from ~$44. Cons: targets cluster near current price on the low end ($45–$46), suggesting limited immediate upside unless execution/earnings materially beat expectations. Influential/politician activity: No recent congress trading data available in the last 90 days.

9 Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast DAR stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for DAR is 49.56 USD with a low forecast of 44 USD and a high forecast of 60 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

9 Buy

0 Hold

0 Sell

Strong Buy

Current: 44.020

Low

Averages

49.56

High

Current: 44.020

Low

Averages

49.56

High

JPMorgan

Overweight

maintain

$44 -> $46

AI Analysis

2026-01-21

Reason

JPMorgan

Price Target

$44 -> $46

AI Analysis

2026-01-21

maintain

Overweight

Reason

JPMorgan raised the firm's price target on Darling Ingredients to $46 from $44 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. The firm updated targets in the agricultural products group ahead of the Q4 reports. The ag products industry "seems to be experiencing an improved environment," the analyst tells investors in a research note. JPMorgan says soybean board crush futures are pointing to better margins as 2026 progresses.

TD Cowen

Hold

Buy

upgrade

$45

2025-12-02

Reason

TD Cowen

Price Target

$45

2025-12-02

upgrade

Hold

Buy

Reason

TD Cowen upgraded Darling Ingredients to Buy from Hold with a $45 price target.

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DAR Should I Buy

DAR Should I Buy

Should You Buy Darling Ingredients Inc (DAR) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

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