Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Takes $1.21 Million Position in Pilgrim’s Pride Co. (NASDAQ:PPC)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Pilgrim’s Pride Co. (NASDAQ:PPC) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 26,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,210,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Pilgrim’s Pride during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Pilgrim’s Pride in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in Pilgrim’s Pride during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Pilgrim’s Pride during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its holdings in Pilgrim’s Pride by 295.8% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. 16.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pilgrim’s Pride Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ PPC opened at $45.57 on Friday. Pilgrim’s Pride Co. has a 1 year low of $26.52 and a 1 year high of $55.50. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $48.12 and its 200-day moving average is $45.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.81 billion, a PE ratio of 11.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 0.84.

Pilgrim’s Pride (NASDAQ:PPC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.36. Pilgrim’s Pride had a net margin of 5.46% and a return on equity of 29.92%. The firm had revenue of $4.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.58 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Pilgrim’s Pride Co. will post 5.12 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PPC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays increased their target price on Pilgrim’s Pride from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Pilgrim’s Pride from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Pilgrim’s Pride in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 target price on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $45.50.

Pilgrim’s Pride Company Profile

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.