Virtu Financial LLC Invests $1.09 Million in Pilgrim's Pride Co. (NASDAQ:PPC)

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pilgrim's Pride Co. (NASDAQ:PPC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 23,988 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,089,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in PPC. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Pilgrim's Pride by 903.9% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,455,513 shares of the company's stock worth $67,026,000 after acquiring an additional 1,310,530 shares during the period. Ruffer LLP bought a new stake in Pilgrim's Pride during the fourth quarter worth approximately $8,381,000. Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new stake in Pilgrim's Pride in the fourth quarter worth approximately $8,601,000. Zacks Investment Management bought a new position in Pilgrim's Pride during the 3rd quarter valued at $4,989,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Pilgrim's Pride by 106.0% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 158,826 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,314,000 after purchasing an additional 81,727 shares during the period. 16.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Pilgrim's Pride from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Santander started coverage on shares of Pilgrim's Pride in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Pilgrim's Pride from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, March 2nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Pilgrim's Pride currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $46.33.

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Pilgrim's Pride Trading Up 0.8 %

NASDAQ PPC traded up $0.39 on Tuesday, hitting $51.17. 651,000 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,351,127. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 1.31. Pilgrim's Pride Co. has a twelve month low of $33.67 and a twelve month high of $57.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.22 and a beta of 0.71. The company's 50 day moving average price is $50.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $48.37.

Pilgrim's Pride Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a special dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a $6.30 dividend. This is an increase 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.