Form 8-K - Current report

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934


Date of report (Date of earliest event reported)									January 25, 2024

DARLING INGREDIENTS INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)


Delaware	001-13323	36-2495346
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

5601 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving, Texas 75038

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (972) 717-0300

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):


☐			Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)


☐			Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)


☐			Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))


☐			Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:


Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common stock $0.01 par value per share	DAR	New York Stock Exchange	(“NYSE”)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).


☐			Emerging growth company

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Item 2.02. Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

On January 25, 2024, Darling Ingredients Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release in which, among other things, the Company provided comments regarding its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2023 earnings. A copy of the press release is filed as Exhibit 99.1.

The information in this Item 2.02, including the exhibit attached hereto, shall not be deemed "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.


99.1						Press Release dated January 25, 2024 (furnished pursuant to Item 2.02).
104						Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within Inline XBRL document)

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


	DARLING INGREDIENTS INC.

Date: January 25, 2024	By:	/s/ John F. Sterling
		John F. Sterling
		Executive Vice President, General Counsel

EXHIBIT 99.1

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 25, 2024

Darling Ingredients Inc. Statement on Fiscal Year 2023 Earnings

IRVING, Texas, – Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE: DAR) today released the following statement regarding fourth quarter and fiscal year 2023 earnings.

Fourth quarter and fiscal year 2023 earnings for Darling Ingredients’ 50/50 joint venture known as Diamond Green Diesel (DGD) were released earlier today by Darling’s joint venture partner.

Darling Ingredients will release its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2023 earnings on or around February 27, 2024, and expects to deliver its sixth consecutive year of record earnings for fiscal year 2023. The core ingredients business performed very well in the fourth quarter and is projected to show strong improvement quarter over quarter.

Heading into 2024, the company is making adjustments, which it believes will protect margins in the Feed segment as global finished good prices have declined, while the Food and Fuel segments are much more insulated from commodity volatility.

We remain optimistic about 2024 performance given the diversity of our integrated global platform, combined with expected contributions from recent acquisitions, successful integration efforts, improved performance at DGD and sustainable aviation fuel production on the horizon. The company will provide additional details regarding its 2024 outlook during its fiscal year 2023 earnings call.

About Darling Ingredients

Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE: DAR) is the largest publicly traded company turning edible by-products and food waste into sustainable products and a leading producer of renewable energy. Recognized as a sustainability leader, the company operates more than 260 facilities in over 15 countries and repurposes approximately 15% of the world's meat industry waste streams into value-added products, such as green energy, renewable diesel, collagen, fertilizer, animal proteins and meals, and pet food ingredients. To learn more, visit darlingii.com. Follow us on LinkedIn.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information:

This media release contains includes “forward-looking” statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the statements. Statements that are not statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “estimate,” “guidance,” “project,” “planned,” “contemplate,” “potential,” “possible,” “proposed,” “intend,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this release are forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current expectations and assumptions regarding its business, the economy and other future conditions. The Company cautions readers that any such forward-looking statements it makes are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results may differ materially from anticipated results or expectations expressed in its forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including many that are beyond the Company's control. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations include: existing and unknown future limitations on the ability of the Company's direct and indirect subsidiaries to make their cash flow available to the Company for payments on the Company's indebtedness or other purposes; global demands for bio-fuels and grain and oilseed commodities, which have exhibited volatility, and can impact the cost of feed for cattle, hogs and poultry, thus affecting available rendering feedstock and selling prices for the Company’s products; reductions in raw material volumes available to the Company due to weak margins in the meat production industry as a result of higher feed costs, reduced consumer demand or other factors, reduced volume from food service establishments, or otherwise; reduced demand for animal feed; reduced finished product prices, including a decline in fat and used cooking oil finished product prices; changes to worldwide government policies relating to renewable fuels and greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions that adversely affect programs like the U.S. government's renewable fuel standard, low carbon fuel standards (“LCFS”) and tax credits for biofuels both in the United States and abroad; possible product recall resulting from developments relating to the discovery of unauthorized adulterations to food or food additives; the occurrence of 2009 H1N1 flu (initially

known as “Swine Flu”), highly pathogenic strains of avian influenza (collectively known as “Bird Flu”), severe acute respiratory syndrome (“SARS”), bovine spongiform encephalopathy (or “BSE”), porcine epidemic diarrhea (“PED”) or other diseases associated with animal origin in the United States or elsewhere, such as the outbreak of African Swine Fever in China and elsewhere; the occurrence of pandemics, epidemics or disease outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 outbreak; unanticipated costs and/or reductions in raw material volumes related to the Company’s compliance with the existing or unforeseen new U.S. or foreign (including, without limitation, China) regulations (including new or modified animal feed, Bird Flu, SARS, PED, BSE or ASF or similar or unanticipated regulations) affecting the industries in which the Company operates or its value added products; risks associated with the DGD Joint Venture, including possible unanticipated operating disruptions, a decline in margins on the products produced by the DGD Joint Venture and issues relating to the announced SAF upgrade project; risks and uncertainties relating to international sales and operations, including imposition of tariffs, quotas, trade barriers and other trade protections imposed by foreign countries; tax changes, such as the introduction of a global minimum tax; difficulties or a significant disruption in the Company's information systems or failure to implement new systems and software successfully; risks relating to possible third party claims of intellectual property infringement; increased contributions to the Company’s pension and benefit plans, including multiemployer and employer-sponsored defined benefit pension plans as required by legislation, regulation or other applicable U.S. or foreign law or resulting from a U.S. mass withdrawal event; bad debt write-offs; loss of or failure to obtain necessary permits and registrations; continued or escalated conflict in the Middle East, North Korea, Ukraine or elsewhere, including the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; uncertainty regarding the exit of the U.K. from the European Union; and/or unfavorable export or import markets. These factors, coupled with volatile prices for natural gas and diesel fuel, inflation rates, climate conditions, currency exchange fluctuations, general performance of the U.S. and global economies, disturbances in world financial, credit, commodities and stock markets, such as the recent turmoil in the world banking markets, and any decline in consumer confidence and discretionary spending, including the inability of consumers and companies to obtain credit due to lack of liquidity in the financial markets, among others, could cause actual results to vary materially from the forward-looking statements included in this report or negatively impact the Company's results of operations. Among other things, future profitability may be affected by the Company’s ability to grow its business, which faces competition from companies that may have substantially greater resources than the Company. The Company’s announced share repurchase program may be suspended or discontinued at any time and purchases of shares under the program are subject to market conditions and other factors, which are likely to change from time to time. For more detailed discussion of these factors and other risks and uncertainties regarding the Company, its business and the industries in which it operates, see the Company’s filings with the SEC, including the Risk Factors discussion in Item 1A of Part I of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. The Company cautions readers that all forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of changes in circumstances, new events or otherwise.

# # #

Darling Ingredients Contacts

Investors: Suann Guthrie

Senior VP, Investor Relations, Sustainability & Communications

(469) 214-8202; suann.guthrie@darlingii.com

Media: Jillian Fleming

Director, Global Communications

(972) 541-7115; jillian.fleming@darlingii.com

Cover Page	Jan. 25, 2024
Cover [Abstract]
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Title of 12(b) Security	Common stock $0.01 par value per share
Entity Central Index Key	0000916540
Pre-commencement Issuer Tender Offer	false
Pre-commencement Tender Offer	false
Soliciting Material	false
Written Communications	false
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Registrant Name	DARLING INGREDIENTS INC.
Document Period End Date	Jan. 25, 2024
Document Type	8-K
Entity File Number	001-13323
Entity Tax Identification Number	36-2495346
Amendment Flag	false
Trading Symbol	DAR
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Entity Address, Address Line One	5601 N. MacArthur Blvd.
Entity Address, City or Town	Irving
Entity Address, State or Province	TX
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	75038
City Area Code	972
Local Phone Number	717-0300