Pilgrim’s Pride Co. (NASDAQ:PPC) Stock Position Lifted by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. boosted its stake in Pilgrim’s Pride Co. (NASDAQ:PPC) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,307 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Pilgrim’s Pride were worth $286,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of PPC. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Pilgrim’s Pride by 125.9% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 11,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $521,000 after acquiring an additional 6,396 shares during the last quarter. United Capital Management of KS Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Pilgrim’s Pride by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. United Capital Management of KS Inc. now owns 139,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,318,000 after purchasing an additional 2,873 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Pilgrim’s Pride by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 93,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,235,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Pilgrim’s Pride by 1,972.1% in the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 6,320 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 6,015 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Pilgrim’s Pride by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 34,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,581,000 after buying an additional 841 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.64% of the company’s stock.

Pilgrim’s Pride Stock Up 1.2 %

PPC opened at $53.24 on Friday. Pilgrim’s Pride Co. has a 1-year low of $33.67 and a 1-year high of $57.16. The business has a 50 day moving average of $50.62 and a 200-day moving average of $48.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.68 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Pilgrim’s Pride Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $6.30 per share. This is an increase from Pilgrim’s Pride’s previous special dividend of $2.75. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on PPC. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Pilgrim’s Pride from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com cut Pilgrim’s Pride from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 2nd. Finally, Santander started coverage on shares of Pilgrim’s Pride in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Pilgrim’s Pride presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $46.33.

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.