DAR vs SMG Stock Comparison

Darling Ingredients and Scotts Miracle-Gro Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
DAR Darling Ingredients Inc.
$57.16 -6.8% 1M +65.4% 1Y
Market cap
$8.82B
P/E
14.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$7.77B
Div. yield
–
Agricultural Products Consumer Staples
10 wins
SMG Scotts Miracle-Gro Co
$58.88 +15.7% 1M +6.1% 1Y
Market cap
$3.45B
P/E
46.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.48B
Div. yield
0.04%
Agricultural Products Consumer Staples
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Darling Ingredients leads on 10 of the 12 questions below (Darling Ingredients 10, Scotts Miracle-Gro 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionDARSMGLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $8.82B $3.45B DAR
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 14.7x 46.7x DAR
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 9.0x 12.8x DAR
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +36.3% +4.6% DAR
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 7.7% 2.1% DAR
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 8.8% 12.0% SMG
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.6x 4.6x DAR
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.04% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +65.4% +6.1% DAR
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -6.3%/yr -16.8%/yr DAR
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 33.1% 38.6% DAR
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 71/100 56/100 DAR

Percentile Scorecard

DARSMG

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisDARSMG
Valuation 58 #15 of 34 49 #18 of 34
Growth 97 #2 of 31 87 #5 of 31
Profitability 100 #1 of 29 86 #5 of 29
Financial Health 64 #14 of 37 17 #31 of 37
Shareholder Returns 38 #16 of 25 42 #15 of 25
Overall 71 56
  • DAR ranked among 38 companies in Agribusiness
  • SMG ranked among 38 companies in Agribusiness

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodDARSMGSPY
1 month -6.8%+15.7% -0.8%
3 months -5.6%-15.8% +3.5%
6 months -5.3%-13.1% +7.0%
Year to date +58.8%+0.9% +12.2%
1 year +65.4%+6.1% +13.0%
3 years +33.6%+30.8% +86.3%
3 years, per year +10.1%+9.4% +23.1%
5 years -27.9%-60.0% +68.6%
5 years, per year -6.3%-16.8% +11.0%
10 years +320.6%-33.6% +258.0%
10 years, per year +15.5%-4.0% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureDARSMGSPY
Volatility, 1Y 33.1%38.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 31.1%37.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.230.72 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.980.16 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -68.3%-77.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -16.4%-19.9% -1.8%
52-week high $68.35$73.48 $779.14
52-week low $31.92$48.44 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleDARSMG
P/E now vs peer median 15.2xmedian 15.2x 46.4xmedian 15.2x
P/S now vs peer median 1.2xmedian 0.5x 1.0xmedian 0.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 8.6xmedian 9.0x 12.2xmedian 9.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 10.2xmedian 15.1x 13.0xmedian 15.1x
P/B now vs peer median 1.7xmedian 1.1x -16.4xmedian 1.1x
PEG now vs peer median -1.81median 1.27 1.27median 1.27

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsDARSMG
Revenue $7.77B $3.48B
Gross profit $2.95B $1.11B
Operating income $951.18M $382.50M
Net income $606.26M $73.90M
Free cash flow $881.25M $263.30M
EPS (diluted) $3.72 $1.25
Cash & equivalents $160.74M $27.70M
Total debt $3.95B $2.11B
Shares (diluted) 160.63M 59.20M
Enterprise value $8.36B $3.38B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricDARSMG
P/E 15.2x 46.4x
P/FCF 10.2x 13.0x
P/Operating cash flow 6.7x 9.3x
P/S 1.2x 1.0x
P/B 1.7x -16.4x
P/Tangible book 2.0x -6.1x
EV/EBITDA 8.6x 12.2x
EV/EBIT 13.5x 14.4x
EV/Revenue 1.6x 1.6x
EV/FCF 14.5x 20.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 9.5x 14.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -1.81 1.27

Growth

14 metrics
MetricDARSMG
Revenue growth (1Y) 36.3% 4.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.2% -1.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 126.1% 13.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 22.9% 19.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) 231.6% 23.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -5.6% 178.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 434.9% 39.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -8.7% 36.8%
EPS growth (1Y) 464.4% 37.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -8.4% 36.4%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 64.1% 17.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 16.3% -12.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 60.5% 7.6%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 31.9% -16.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricDARSMG
Gross margin 37.9% 31.8%
EBITDA margin 19.1% 13.0%
Operating margin 12.2% 11.0%
Pretax margin 11.3% 7.2%
Net margin 7.7% 2.1%
FCF margin 11.3% 7.6%
Operating cash flow margin 17.4% 10.6%
Return on equity 14.5% –
Return on assets 6.9% 1.9%
Return on invested capital 8.8% 12.0%
Return on capital employed 9.8% 17.6%
Asset turnover 0.7x 1.1x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.2x 5.0x
Stock comp / revenue 0.5% 1.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricDARSMG
Debt / assets 35.9% 66.7%
Debt / equity 0.7x -10.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.6x 4.6x
Debt / FCF 4.5x 8.0x
Liabilities / assets 51.7% 106.6%
Equity / assets 48.3% -6.6%
Interest coverage 2.7x 3.4x
Current ratio 1.6x 1.2x
Quick ratio 0.8x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.0x
Altman Z-score 2.60 2.38

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricDARSMG
Dividend yield – 4.5%
Net buyback yield 0.8% 0.2%
Shareholder yield 0.8% 4.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 208.9%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 58.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 0.4%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 1.3%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusDARSMG
Forward P/E 9.0xFY2026 12.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $6.33FY2026 $4.59FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +1,523.1%FY2026 +22.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +1.6% +7.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $7.11BFY2026 $3.16BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +15.8%FY2026 -7.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -5.2% +9.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersDARSMG
Held by institutions 100.0% 86.5%
Institutions holding 613 465
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.5% +9.2%
Institutions buying 329 244
Institutions selling 204 137
Buyers to sellers 1.61 1.78

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

DARSMG
DAR 1.00 -0.10
SMG -0.10 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, DAR and SMG?

Darling Ingredients (DAR) is the largest by market capitalisation: Darling Ingredients (DAR) $8.82B, Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG) $3.45B.

Which stock is cheaper, DAR and SMG?

Darling Ingredients (DAR) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Darling Ingredients (DAR) 14.7x, Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG) 46.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Darling Ingredients (DAR) is cheapest (Darling Ingredients (DAR) 9.0x, Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG) 12.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Darling Ingredients (DAR) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Darling Ingredients (DAR) +36.3%, Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG) +4.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Darling Ingredients (DAR) has the highest net margin (Darling Ingredients (DAR) 7.7%, Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG) 2.1%). On return on invested capital, Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG) leads (Darling Ingredients (DAR) 8.8%, Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG) 12.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Darling Ingredients (DAR) returned the most: Darling Ingredients (DAR) +65.4%, Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG) +6.1%. Over five years, Darling Ingredients (DAR) compounded fastest (Darling Ingredients (DAR) -6.3%/yr, Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG) -16.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Darling Ingredients (DAR) 0.00%, Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG) 0.04%. Darling Ingredients (DAR) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Darling Ingredients (DAR) has been the steadiest (Darling Ingredients (DAR) 33.1%, Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG) 38.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Do DAR and SMG move together?

Their daily returns over the past year have a correlation of -0.10, a negative relationship. Holding both diversifies more than two closely linked stocks would.

Which is the better stock, DAR and SMG?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Darling Ingredients (DAR) leads on 10. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.