Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 40,300 Shares of Pilgrim's Pride Co. (NASDAQ:PPC)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP cut its position in shares of Pilgrim's Pride Co. (NASDAQ:PPC - Free Report) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,874,037 shares of the company's stock after selling 40,300 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 1.21% of Pilgrim's Pride worth $130,453,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Pilgrim's Pride during the fourth quarter worth $59,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Pilgrim's Pride by 132.1% in the 4th 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 period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Pilgrim's Pride during the 4th quarter valued at about $118,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Pilgrim's Pride by 31.9% in the 4th 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 period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Pilgrim's Pride in the 3rd quarter worth about $141,000. 16.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Pilgrim's Pride Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PPC opened at $53.55 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a market capitalization of $12.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.74 and a beta of 0.63. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $52.54 and a 200 day moving average of $49.87. Pilgrim's Pride Co. has a 52 week low of $33.67 and a 52 week high of $57.16.

Pilgrim's Pride Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd were paid a dividend of $6.30 per share. This is a boost from Pilgrim's Pride's previous special dividend of $2.75. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 3rd.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Santander assumed coverage on Pilgrim's Pride in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. StockNews.com cut Pilgrim's Pride from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, March 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Pilgrim's Pride from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $48.40.

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.

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