6,368 Shares in Pilgrim's Pride Co. (NASDAQ:PPC) Acquired by CHICAGO TRUST Co NA

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA acquired a new stake in shares of Pilgrim's Pride Co. (NASDAQ:PPC - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 6,368 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $347,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pilgrim's Pride in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. bought a new stake in Pilgrim's Pride during the fourth quarter valued at about $55,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Pilgrim's Pride in the fourth quarter worth about $118,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in Pilgrim's Pride in the first quarter worth about $133,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE raised its stake in shares of Pilgrim's Pride by 23.3% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,445 shares of the company's stock worth $156,000 after buying an additional 650 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 16.64% of the company's stock.

Pilgrim's Pride Price Performance

PPC stock traded down $0.49 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $45.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,403,889 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,203,139. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.95 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a 50 day moving average of $49.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $49.79. Pilgrim's Pride Co. has a 12 month low of $33.94 and a 12 month high of $57.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Pilgrim's Pride (NASDAQ:PPC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.05. Pilgrim's Pride had a return on equity of 32.83% and a net margin of 6.08%. The business had revenue of $4.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.77 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Pilgrim's Pride Co. will post 5.13 EPS for the current year.

Pilgrim's Pride Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd were issued a $6.30 dividend. This is a boost from Pilgrim's Pride's previous special dividend of $2.75. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 3rd.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Pilgrim's Pride from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Pilgrim's Pride from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Santander started coverage on shares of Pilgrim's Pride in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $48.40.

About Pilgrim's Pride

Pilgrim's Pride Corp. engages in the production, processing, marketing, and distribution of fresh, frozen and value-added chicken and pork products to retailers, distributors, and foodservice operators. It operates through the following segments: U.S., U.K. and Europe, and Mexico. The company was founded by Lonnie A.