United Capital Management of KS Inc. Buys 2,873 Shares of Pilgrim’s Pride Co. (NASDAQ:PPC)

United Capital Management of KS Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Pilgrim’s Pride Co. (NASDAQ:PPC) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 139,189 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,873 shares during the period. United Capital Management of KS Inc. owned 0.06% of Pilgrim’s Pride worth $6,318,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of Pilgrim’s Pride by 295.8% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Pilgrim’s Pride during the 4th quarter valued at $59,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Pilgrim’s Pride by 132.1% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 765 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Pilgrim’s Pride in the fourth quarter valued at $118,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Pilgrim’s Pride by 31.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $122,000 after buying an additional 650 shares during the last quarter. 16.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on PPC shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Pilgrim’s Pride from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, March 2nd. Santander assumed coverage on Pilgrim’s Pride in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $45.50.

Pilgrim’s Pride Price Performance

Pilgrim’s Pride stock opened at $49.62 on Friday. Pilgrim’s Pride Co. has a 52 week low of $33.25 and a 52 week high of $57.16. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $49.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $48.13. The stock has a market cap of $11.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.88 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Pilgrim’s Pride Increases Dividend

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

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.