Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations Takes Position in Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation $PPC

Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations purchased a new stake in shares of Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation (NASDAQ:PPC) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 39,521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,609,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Pilgrim’s Pride by 59.3% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,776,178 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,852,000 after acquiring an additional 1,405,251 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Pilgrim’s Pride by 48.6% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,459,203 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,635,000 after purchasing an additional 477,216 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Pilgrim’s Pride during the second quarter worth approximately $18,231,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Pilgrim’s Pride by 22.9% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,171,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $97,689,000 after purchasing an additional 404,915 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in Pilgrim’s Pride during the second quarter valued at approximately $17,569,000. 16.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pilgrim’s Pride Price Performance

NASDAQ PPC opened at $43.19 on Thursday. Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $35.73 and a fifty-two week high of $57.16. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $40.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.33. The firm has a market cap of $10.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.37 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.51 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

Pilgrim’s Pride (NASDAQ:PPC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by ($0.10). Pilgrim’s Pride had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 38.17%. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.35 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation will post 5.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about Pilgrim’s Pride

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large full‑year revenue and shareholder return — Pilgrim’s reported 2025 net sales of $18.5B, GAAP net income ~$1.1B for the year and returned $2B to shareholders via special dividends, which supports shareholder yield and capital-return thesis. Pilgrim’s Pride Reports Fourth Quarter and Year-End 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Brand and product growth in the U.S. — U.S. Prepared Foods grew >20% (Just Bare® reached >$1B in retail sales) and key U.S. franchises showed volume gains, supporting higher-margin branded mix over time. Quiver AI summary / press release
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed regional performance — Europe showed improvement (margin and sales gains), while Mexico experienced margin pressure from increased imports and weaker commodity fundamentals; this leaves overall near‑term outlook mixed by region. Pilgrim’s Pride Reports Fourth Quarter and Year-End 2025 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS missed estimates — Pilgrim reported adjusted Q4 EPS $0.68 vs. consensus ~$0.78 (GAAP EPS $0.37), a miss that directly pressures near‑term sentiment and multiple compression risk. Pilgrim’s Pride (PPC) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Miss Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Margin and profitability pressures — Q4 adjusted EBITDA fell ~21% year‑over‑year and GAAP Q4 net income declined (Q4 GAAP net income ~$88M), reflecting commodity and cost headwinds that could keep margins constrained. WSJ: Pilgrim’s Pride Fourth-Quarter Profit Slides
• Negative Sentiment: Large litigation and restructuring items — The company recorded significant litigation‑related charges and restructuring costs that depress adjusted results and introduce earnings volatility until resolved. Pilgrim’s Pride press release with reconciliations

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on PPC shares. Santander raised shares of Pilgrim’s Pride from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Wall Street Zen raised Pilgrim’s Pride from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Barclays lowered their target price on Pilgrim’s Pride from $49.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Zacks Research raised Pilgrim’s Pride from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Pilgrim’s Pride in a report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $46.33.

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.