The takeaway
Darling Ingredients Inc shows a pronounced seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in October (+5.6%) and softest in September (−3.9%).
Right now
In July, the stock has risen 90% of years, averaging +4.6%, about +2.4 pts better than the S&P 500.
The full picture
Darling Ingredients Inc's most dependable month has been October, higher in 9 of 10 years; September has been its least reliable, up just 20% of the time.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win rate % | ||||||||||||
| Median return % | ||||||||||||
| 2025 | ||||||||||||
| 2024 | ||||||||||||
| 2023 | ||||||||||||
| 2022 | ||||||||||||
| 2021 | ||||||||||||
| 2020 | ||||||||||||
| 2019 | ||||||||||||
| 2018 | ||||||||||||
| 2017 | ||||||||||||
| 2016 |
Month by month
The stock's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in October (+4.6 pts); it has trailed the market most in September (−3.7 pts).
“vs S&P” is Darling Ingredients Inc’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Darling Ingredients Inc’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, October has closed higher 80% of the time versus 90% across the last 10 years — the pattern is holding.
Figures are the typical (median) October return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 10(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 10-year window even if you zoom the chart, so it never disagrees with the badges above.
In plain English
Dependability is the through-line here. October stands out, higher in 9 of 10 Octobers, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
Its average (+5.6%) and median (+5.2%) land within a hair of each other — the tell of steady, year-after-year gains rather than one outlier doing the work. It is among its calmest months, too, its returns swinging least from year to year (a 8.0% spread). Crucially, the gain is the stock's own rather than a rising tide's: October has cleared the S&P 500 by +4.6 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages October only about 53% of the time.
A few other months pull their weight: April, May, and July have also closed higher more often than not. On the other side of the ledger, September has been the soft spot — the weakest of 2 months that average a loss (−3.9%), and the edge isn't year-round — the stock has trailed the S&P 500 in September, January, and June. Its roughest month on record was a −27.3% March in 2020 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
At its steadiest, October strung together 7 straight positive years. Reassuringly, the tendency has held its shape: the recent five years still track the years behind them.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: October aside, the stock's months offer little reliable tilt.
Short answers on the stock's best month (October), its worst (September), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a pronounced degree. Since 2016 its best month (October, +5.6%) has run well ahead of its worst (September, −3.9%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
October has been the strongest, averaging +5.6% and closing higher in 9 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −3.9% — historically a soft spot, though it still varies from year to year.
Explore
These names have the strongest July track records on record — a starting point for comparison.
Before you trade