Overview
Poultry producer's Q1 sales rose 1.6% yr/yr, beating analyst expectations
Q1 adjusted EBITDA missed analyst estimates and declined from last year
Profitability impacted by plant downtime, weather disruptions, and weaker commodity fundamentals
Outlook
Company expects U.S. Prepared Foods growth to accelerate as new facility construction remains on track
Pilgrims Pride expects investments in Mexico to drive growth and diversification
Company says European market remains steady but faces declining consumer confidence
Result Drivers
OPERATIONAL DISRUPTIONS - Planned plant downtime, winter storms, and weaker commodity prices reduced profitability in U.S. Fresh business
PREPARED FOODS GROWTH - U.S. Prepared Foods segment saw accelerated growth, led by nearly 40% increase in Just Bare retail sales due to expanded distribution and sales velocity
MEXICO MARGIN PRESSURE - Higher supply levels and increased imports in Mexico compressed margins despite double-digit volume growth in branded sales
Company press release: ID:nGNX9x75rJ
Key Details
Metric
Beat/Miss
Actual
Consensus Estimate
Q1 Sales
Beat
$4.53 bln
$4.43 bln (5 Analysts)
Q1 EPS
$0.43
Q1 Adjusted EBITDA
Miss
$308.10 mln
$374.81 mln (5 Analysts)
Q1 Adjusted EBITDA Margin
6.80%
Q1 Operating Income
$162.60 mln
Analyst Coverage
The current average analyst rating on the shares is "hold" and the breakdown of recommendations is 2 "strong buy" or "buy", 6 "hold" and no "sell" or "strong sell"
The average consensus recommendation for the food processing peer group is "buy."
Wall Street's median 12-month price target for Pilgrims Pride Corp is $42.11, about 28.1% above its April 28 closing price of $32.86
The stock recently traded at 8 times the next 12-month earnings vs. a P/E of 9 three months ago
For questions concerning the data in this report, contact Estimates.Support@lseg.com. For any other questions or feedback, contact reuters.support@thomsonreuters.com.
(This story was created using Reuters automation and AI based on LSEG and company data. It was checked and edited by a Reuters journalist prior to publication.)