South Dakota Investment Council Boosts Position in Pilgrim's Pride Corporation $PPC

Key Points

• South Dakota Investment Council increased its Pilgrim’s Pride stake by 68.7% in the first quarter, adding 45,300 shares to own 111,201 shares valued at approximately $4.2 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively held 16.64% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: Pilgrim’s Pride has a consensus “Hold” rating from analysts, with an average price target of $36.83 and recent targets ranging from $30 to $42.
• Quarterly results fell short of expectations. Revenue declined 2.8% year over year to $4.63 billion, while EPS of $0.64 missed the $0.70 consensus estimate and dropped sharply from $1.70 a year earlier, pressured by weaker commodity pricing and poultry oversupply.

South Dakota Investment Council raised its stake in Pilgrim's Pride Corporation (NASDAQ:PPC - Free Report) by 68.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 111,201 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 45,300 shares during the quarter. South Dakota Investment Council's holdings in Pilgrim's Pride were worth $4,199,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in Pilgrim's Pride by 16.7% in the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 52,407 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,979,000 after buying an additional 7,504 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Pilgrim's Pride by 17.0% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 76,494 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,888,000 after acquiring an additional 11,121 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its position in Pilgrim's Pride by 134.4% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 112,126 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,234,000 after purchasing an additional 64,292 shares during the last quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. acquired a new position in Pilgrim's Pride in the 1st quarter valued at about $542,000. Finally, Lombard Odier Asset Management USA Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Pilgrim's Pride in the first quarter valued at about $326,000. 16.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PPC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Pilgrim's Pride in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $30.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens set a $40.00 price target on Pilgrim's Pride in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Barclays raised Pilgrim's Pride from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $45.00 to $42.00 in a report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings downgraded Pilgrim's Pride from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Pilgrim's Pride from $37.00 to $30.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $36.83.

Pilgrim's Pride Trading Down 2.0%

NASDAQ PPC opened at $29.34 on Friday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $28.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $34.38. Pilgrim's Pride Corporation has a 1-year low of $26.50 and a 1-year high of $50.56. The company has a market capitalization of $6.98 billion, a PE ratio of 12.76 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

Pilgrim's Pride (NASDAQ:PPC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.70 by ($0.06). Pilgrim's Pride had a return on equity of 21.85% and a net margin of 2.96%.The business had revenue of $4.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.70 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Pilgrim's Pride Corporation will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pilgrim's Pride News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Pilgrim's Pride this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Prepared foods and brand growth remain bright spots. U.S. Prepared Foods sales and margins increased, while Just Bare® retail sales rose more than 30% year over year and gained nearly 300 basis points of market share. European and Mexican poultry and prepared-food volumes also grew. Pilgrim's Pride Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Liquidity supports continued investment. PPC reported a net leverage ratio of 1.43x adjusted EBITDA, below its 2x–3x target range, and is investing in plant upgrades and expanded deboning and prepared-foods capacity to reduce exposure to commodity volatility.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains cautious. The company has a consensus “Hold” rating, while reported recent price targets range from $30 to $42, with a median of $39. Pilgrim's Pride Receives Consensus Hold Rating
• Negative Sentiment: Profit and revenue missed expectations. Q2 revenue fell 2.8% year over year to $4.63 billion, below the roughly $4.70 billion analyst estimate. Adjusted EPS was $0.64, below estimates of approximately $0.70–$0.75 and down from $1.70 a year earlier. PPC Q2 Earnings Miss Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Commodity oversupply compressed margins. Falling chicken commodity prices, increased protein supply and weaker pricing reduced adjusted EBITDA 47.6% to $360 million. GAAP operating income declined 87.1%, while GAAP EPS was only $0.06, partly reflecting litigation, impairment and debt-extinguishment charges. UK pork margins also faced pressure from imports, and Mexico experienced increased domestic production and imports.

About Pilgrim's Pride

Pilgrim's Pride Corporation is a leading poultry producer in the United States and Mexico and a wholly owned subsidiary of JBS SA Headquartered in Greeley, Colorado, and Pittsburg, Texas, the company specializes in the production, processing and distribution of fresh, frozen and value-added chicken products. Pilgrim's Pride serves a diverse customer base that includes retail grocery chains, foodservice distributors and restaurant operators across North America and in select international markets.

The company's vertically integrated operations encompass breeding, hatching, feed milling, processing plants and cold storage facilities.

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