Darling (DAR) Soars 6.2%: Is Further Upside Left in the Stock?

DAR USFD

Darling Ingredients (DAR - Free Report) shares soared 6.2% in the last trading session to close at $78.14. The move was backed by solid volume with far more shares changing hands than in a normal session. This compares to the stock's 10.6% gain over the past four weeks.

Shares of Darling Ingredients got a boost, as the company unveiled that Chick-fil-A, Inc. (a privately held restaurant company) selected the former to convert its used cooking oil into renewable cleaner burning transportation fuel. DAR PRO Solutions, which is Darling Ingredients' service brand, will be collecting used cooking oil from all restaurants of Chick-fil-A across United States and Canada.

Earlier this month, Darling Ingredients released robust fourth-quarter fiscal 2021 results, wherein management stated that strong demand for the company’s feed segment and rising demand at Diamond Green Diesel keeps it well placed for a robust show in 2022.

This producer of natural ingredients from edible and inedible bionutrients is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.18 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +31.1%. Revenues are expected to be $1.3 billion, up 24.2% from the year-ago quarter.

While earnings and revenue growth expectations are important in evaluating the potential strength in a stock, empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.

For Darling, the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 9.7% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. And a negative trend in earnings estimate revisions doesn't usually translate into price appreciation. So, make sure to keep an eye on DAR going forward to see if this recent jump can turn into more strength down the road.

The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>

Darling belongs to the Zacks Food - Miscellaneous industry. Another stock from the same industry, US Foods (USFD - Free Report) , closed the last trading session 1% lower at $36.85. Over the past month, USFD has returned -3.2%.

US Foods' consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming report has changed -36.5% over the past month to $0.21. Compared to the company's year-ago EPS, this represents a change of +75%. US Foods currently boasts a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).

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