Pilgrim’s Pride Co. (NASDAQ:PPC) Shares Sold by Semanteon Capital Management LP

Semanteon Capital Management LP trimmed its stake in shares of Pilgrim’s Pride Co. (NASDAQ:PPC) by 14.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,232 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,447 shares during the period. Semanteon Capital Management LP’s holdings in Pilgrim’s Pride were worth $964,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PPC. Vestcor Inc lifted its stake in shares of Pilgrim’s Pride by 1.1% in the third quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 19,783 shares of the company’s stock worth $911,000 after buying an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Pilgrim’s Pride by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 6,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $315,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. lifted its stake in Pilgrim’s Pride by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 6,307 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its stake in Pilgrim’s Pride by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 13,079 shares of the company’s stock worth $602,000 after acquiring an additional 401 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amalgamated Bank boosted its stake in shares of Pilgrim’s Pride by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 19,033 shares of the company’s stock valued at $864,000 after purchasing an additional 585 shares during the period. 16.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Pilgrim’s Pride Stock Performance

Shares of PPC stock opened at $51.93 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $50.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 2.01. Pilgrim’s Pride Co. has a 1 year low of $33.67 and a 1 year high of $57.16. The firm has a market cap of $12.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.39 and a beta of 0.71.

Pilgrim’s Pride Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $6.30 per share. This is a positive change from Pilgrim’s Pride’s previous special dividend of $2.75.

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.