Pilgrim’s Pride (NASDAQ:PPC) Given New $42.00 Price Target at BMO Capital Markets

Pilgrim’s Pride (NASDAQ:PPC) had its price target lifted by BMO Capital Markets from $40.00 to $42.00 in a report released on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. BMO Capital Markets currently has a market perform rating on the stock.

PPC has been the subject of several other research reports. Santander upgraded Pilgrim’s Pride from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Barclays decreased their price target on Pilgrim’s Pride from $49.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Pilgrim’s Pride in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Pilgrim’s Pride from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Pilgrim’s Pride from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $44.33.

Pilgrim’s Pride Stock Performance

Shares of Pilgrim’s Pride stock opened at $43.32 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.29 billion, a PE ratio of 9.54 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $41.30. Pilgrim’s Pride has a one year low of $35.73 and a one year high of $57.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.47.

Pilgrim’s Pride (NASDAQ:PPC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by ($0.14). Pilgrim’s Pride had a return on equity of 35.15% and a net margin of 5.85%.The firm had revenue of $4.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.35 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Pilgrim’s Pride will post 5.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pilgrim’s Pride

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PPC. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pilgrim’s Pride in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. MCF Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Pilgrim’s Pride during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in Pilgrim’s Pride by 1,248.5% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 917 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 849 shares during the period. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new stake in Pilgrim’s Pride in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pilgrim’s Pride during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. 16.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Pilgrim’s Pride

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

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and branded growth beat expectations — Q4 net sales rose ~3.3% y/y and topped estimates, driven by a strong U.S. Prepared Foods business (Just Bare® momentum) and improved European performance; Pilgrim’s also returned $2 billion to shareholders. Pilgrim’s Pride Reports Fourth Quarter and Year-End 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Solid full‑year cash generation and leverage — FY2025 GAAP net income ~$1.1B and adjusted EBITDA ~ $2.27B, with net leverage below ~1.1x, which supports liquidity and shareholder returns. Quiver Quant: Pilgrim’s Pride Announces 2025 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst target modestly adjusted — BMO raised its price target from $40 to $42 and kept a “market perform” rating (target still implies limited upside/downside near current levels). The Fly: BMO raises PPC price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary and slide deck are available — the earnings call/transcript and presentation give detail on segment mix, cost actions and outlook (useful for modeling near‑term margin recovery scenarios). Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 earnings missed consensus — reported EPS under consensus (the company reported a lower Q4 EPS vs. the ~$0.78 consensus), and adjusted EBITDA declined y/y in the quarter, signaling margin pressure. That miss is the proximate reason for investor concern. Zacks: Q4 results lag estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Margin compression and regional headwinds — analysts and deep‑dive coverage point to commodity cost volatility and weak Mexico margins (imports and live commodity market issues), increasing near‑term profit risk; Zacks also downgraded the stock to “strong sell.” MSN deep dive: Margin compression Zacks: PPC downgraded

Pilgrim’s Pride Company Profile

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.