Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Has $1.58 Million Stock Holdings in Pilgrim’s Pride Co. (NASDAQ:PPC)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Pilgrim’s Pride Co. (NASDAQ:PPC) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,835 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 841 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Pilgrim’s Pride were worth $1,581,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Pilgrim’s Pride by 1,289.4% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,225,216 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,621,000 after purchasing an additional 4,849,147 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its holdings in Pilgrim’s Pride by 903.9% in the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,455,513 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,026,000 after purchasing an additional 1,310,530 shares during the last quarter. Ruffer LLP acquired a new position in Pilgrim’s Pride in the fourth quarter valued at about $8,381,000. Advisors Preferred LLC bought a new position in Pilgrim’s Pride during the fourth quarter worth about $8,601,000. Finally, Zacks Investment Management acquired a new position in shares of Pilgrim’s Pride during the 3rd quarter worth about $4,989,000. 16.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Pilgrim’s Pride Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:PPC opened at $49.62 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $11.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.88 and a beta of 0.71. Pilgrim’s Pride Co. has a 12 month low of $33.25 and a 12 month high of $57.16. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $49.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.18. 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 company also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a $6.30 dividend. This is an increase from Pilgrim’s Pride’s previous special dividend of $2.75.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pilgrim’s Pride from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 2nd. Santander assumed coverage on shares of Pilgrim’s Pride in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pilgrim’s Pride currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.50.

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.