Pilgrim's Pride Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results

GREELEY, Colo., Oct. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation (NASDAQ: PPC), one of the world's leading food companies, reports its third quarter 2026 financial results.

Third Quarter Highlights

• Net Sales of $4.7 billion.
• Consolidated GAAP Operating Income margin of 4.1%.
• GAAP Net Income of $116.3 million and GAAP EPS of $0.49. Adjusted Net Income of $117.7 million, and Adjusted EPS of $0.49.
• Adjusted EBITDA of $316.3 million, or a 6.8% margin, with Adjusted EBITDA margins of 6.9% in the U.S., 7.4% in Europe, and 4.9% in Mexico.
• U.S. Fresh benefited from its differentiated product mix and improvements in live operations and yield efficiencies throughout the quarter to partially compensate for declines in commodity cutout values. Volumes remained steady compared to previous quarter given promotional support and increased distribution, offsetting the impact of planned downtime from the investment in Pilgrim’s Ellijay, Ga., plant to grow in the small bird debone segment.
• U.S. Prepared Foods accelerated its marketplace momentum as volumes rose over 15% compared to last year. Just Bare^® continues to lead growth in the fully cooked chicken category as retail sales grew by over 25% versus prior year. Construction of the new prepared foods facility in Walker County, Ga., remains on track with commission expected in the second half of 2027.
• Europe sales and volumes remained stable as affordability of poultry and meal offerings continued to resonate in the marketplace, while inflationary pressures and impacts of excess pork imports from European countries continue to be a challenge. The approval process for the acquisition of Walkers Deli & Sausage continues to progress with an anticipated close in early 2027.
• Mexico’s fundamentals in the live commodity market improved from previous quarters despite extensive availability of protein in the country. Sales grew as fresh branded offerings in retail increased by over 40% compared to last year. Growth and geographical diversification with ramp-up of operations in the Merida region and the Southern Peninsula remains on schedule.
• Pilgrim’s published an update of its sustainability efforts through 2025 that detailed progress on its environmental, social, and governance ambitions. Since 2019, Pilgrim’s has reduced its global Scope 1 & 2 emissions intensity by over 20%. During the past year, the company continued to cultivate an environment for team member safety and well-being as the Global Safety Index has improved over 60% compared to last year, and more than 6 million training hours were provided during 2025.
• Maintained strong liquidity position to support future growth opportunities as the company’s net leverage ratio is currently 1.76x Adjusted EBITDA, below the target of 2x to 3x.

“During the quarter, our differentiated portfolio of chicken products continued to experience strong demand as affordability and convenience continues to be priority among consumers across all regions,” said Fabio Sandri, Pilgrim’s President and CEO. “We remain focused on our investments and strategies to drive profitable growth and adapt our portfolio to changing conditions.”

In the third quarter, U.S. demand for fresh chicken experienced moderate volume growth compared to near record levels from last year. USDA reports reflect a 2.2% increase in supply year over year, outpacing overall demand growth and pressuring commodity cutout values lower than previous period.

Case Ready maintained its presence throughout retail given additional distribution and investments in promotional activity with Key Customers. Small Bird demand remained firm due to continued consumer interest in boneless offerings from leading QSRs.

“While consumers maintained their interest in chicken across retail and foodservice, the market experienced a significant increase in supply,” said Sandri. “We continue to improve the efficiency of our operations and given
recent investments, we’ve created a more balanced portfolio better equipped to mitigate impacts of volatile commodity values.”

U.S. Prepared Foods continues to drive profitable growth as both sales and margins increased versus last year. Just Bare^® remains the fastest growing brand in the frozen fully cooked category as market share in volume rose over 300 basis points year over year. Pilgrim’s^® continues to bring excitement across retail and foodservice through its introduction of Flamin’ Hot^® offerings.

"Innovation remains a key pillar of growth within Prepared Foods, and the recent Pilgrim’s^® launch of Flamin’ Hot^® demonstrates our ability to generate meaningful consumer excitement with industry leading partners," Sandri said. "When combined with the momentum of Just Bare^®, these efforts will further strengthen our portfolio and drive sustainable growth."

In Europe, value conscious shoppers throughout retail sought the company’s poultry and meals offerings as volume and sales both rose compared to last year. In the branded portfolio, Fridge Raiders^® and Rollover^® continued to grow with additional opportunities for the remainder of the year from increased promotional activity and distribution. Margins compressed given challenging pork fundamentals and sustained escalation of input costs.

“Our diversified portfolio continues to draw consumers seeking value,” remarked Sandri. “To that end, we’ll continue investing in our poultry supply chain to expand our presence. Additional opportunities exist to drive sales growth and enhance margins in our pork business through the pending Walkers acquisition.”

Mexico’s profitability rose compared to the previous quarter as market fundamentals in the live commodity market improved. Key Customer partnerships in retail strengthened as volumes increased by more than 8% versus last year. Just Bare^® led growth in retail fresh as volumes more than doubled compared to last year. Growth in the branded Prepared Foods portfolio continues as both Pilgrims^® and Alamesa^® grew by double digits.

“While conditions in Mexico have been challenging throughout the year, we continue to improve our operational excellence, diversify our portfolio through branded offerings, and strengthen Key Customer partnerships,” said Sandri. “Our ongoing investments will further reinforce our ability to reduce volatility and drive sales growth.”

Pilgrim’s recently provided an update on its sustainability efforts through 2025, which includes an overview of progress against environmental, social, and governance matters. The company continues to make continuous progress in Scope 1 & 2 emissions reduction, safety performance, product integrity and team member development.

Conference Call Information

A conference call to discuss Pilgrim’s quarterly results will be held tomorrow, October 29, at 7 a.m. MT (9 a.m. ET). Participants are encouraged to pre-register for the conference call using the link below. Callers who pre-register will be given a unique PIN to gain immediate access to the call and bypass the live operator. Participants may pre-register at any time, including up to and after the call start time.

To pre-register, go to: https://dpregister.com/sreg/10212694/10518f0489e

You may also reach the pre-registration link by logging in through the investor section of our website at https://ir.pilgrims.com in the “Events & Presentations” section.

For those who would like to join the call but have not pre-registered, access is available by dialing +1 (844) 883-3889 within the US, or +1 (412) 317-9245 internationally, and requesting the “Pilgrim’s Pride Conference.”

Replays of the conference call will be available on Pilgrim’s website approximately two hours after the call concludes and can be accessed through the “Investor” section of www.pilgrims.com. 

About Pilgrim’s Pride

Pilgrim’s employs approximately 63,000 people and operates protein processing plants and prepared-foods facilities in 14 states, Puerto Rico, Mexico, the U.K, the Republic of Ireland and continental Europe. The Company’s primary distribution is through retailers and foodservice distributors. For more information, please visit www.pilgrims.com. 

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release that state the intentions, plans, hopes, beliefs, anticipations, expectations or predictions of the future of Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation and its management are considered forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “projects,” “should,” “targets,” “will” and the negative thereof and similar words and expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. It is important to note that actual results could differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements include: matters affecting the poultry industry generally; the ability to execute the Company’s business plan to achieve desired cost savings and profitability; future pricing for feed ingredients and the Company’s products; outbreaks of avian influenza or other diseases, either in Pilgrim’s Pride’s flocks or elsewhere, affecting its ability to conduct its operations and/or demand for its poultry products; contamination of Pilgrim’s Pride’s products, which has previously and can in the future lead to product liability claims and product recalls; exposure to risks related to product liability, product recalls, property damage and injuries to persons, for which insurance coverage is expensive, limited and potentially inadequate; management of cash resources; restrictions imposed by, and as a result of, Pilgrim’s Pride’s leverage; changes in laws or regulations affecting Pilgrim’s Pride’s operations or the application thereof; new immigration legislation or increased enforcement efforts in connection with existing immigration legislation that cause the costs of doing business to increase, cause Pilgrim’s Pride to change the way in which it does business, or otherwise disrupt its operations; competitive factors and pricing pressures or the loss of one or more of Pilgrim’s Pride’s largest customers; currency exchange rate fluctuations, trade barriers, exchange controls, expropriation and other risks associated with foreign operations; disruptions in international markets and distribution channels, including, but not limited to, the impacts of the Russia-Ukraine conflict; the risk of cyber-attacks, natural disasters, power losses, unauthorized access, telecommunication failures, and other problems on our information systems; and the impact of uncertainties of litigation and other legal matters described in our most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, including the In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation, as well as other risks described under “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements in this release speak only as of the date of this release, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law.

PILGRIM’S PRIDE CORPORATION

Selected Financial Information

(Unaudited)

“EBITDA” is defined as the sum of net income plus interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. “Adjusted EBITDA” is calculated by adding to EBITDA certain items of expense and deducting from EBITDA certain items of income that we believe are not indicative of our ongoing operating performance consisting of: (1) foreign currency transaction losses, (2) costs related to litigation settlements, (3) restructuring activities losses, (4) asset impairment, and (5) net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest. EBITDA is presented because it is used by management and we believe it is frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties, in addition to and not in lieu of results prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“U.S. GAAP”), to compare the performance of companies. We believe investors would be interested in our Adjusted EBITDA because this is how our management analyzes EBITDA applicable to continuing operations. The Company also believes that Adjusted EBITDA, in combination with the Company’s financial results calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP, provides investors with additional perspective regarding the impact of certain significant items on EBITDA and facilitates a more direct comparison of its performance with its competitors. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not measurements of financial performance under U.S. GAAP. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA have limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for an analysis of our results as reported under U.S. GAAP. In addition, other companies in our industry may calculate these measures differently limiting their usefulness as a comparative measure. Because of these limitations, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to net income as indicators of our operating performance or any other measures of performance derived in accordance with U.S. GAAP. These limitations should be compensated for by relying primarily on our U.S. GAAP results and using EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA only on a supplemental basis.

The summary unaudited consolidated income statement data for the 12 months ended September 27, 2026 (the LTM Period) have been calculated by subtracting the applicable unaudited consolidated income statement data for the nine months ended September 27, 2026 from the sum of (1) the applicable audited consolidated income statement data for the year ended December 28, 2025 and (2) the applicable unaudited consolidated income statement data for the nine months ended September 27, 2026.

EBITDA margins have been calculated by taking the relevant unaudited EBITDA figures, then dividing by net sales for the applicable period. EBITDA margins are presented because they are used by management and we believe they are frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties, as a supplement to our results prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, to compare the performance of companies.

Adjusted EBITDA by segment figures are presented because they are used by management and we believe they are frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties, as a supplement to our results prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, to compare the performance of companies.

Adjusted EBITDA by segment figures are presented because they are used by management and we believe they are frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties, as a supplement to our results prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, to compare the performance of companies.

Adjusted Operating Income is calculated by adding to Operating Income certain items of expense and deducting from Operating Income certain items of income. Management believes that presentation of Adjusted Operating Income provides useful supplemental information about our operating performance and enables comparison of our performance between periods because certain costs shown below are not indicative of our current operating performance. A reconciliation of GAAP operating income to adjusted operating income as follows:

Adjusted Operating Income Margin for each of our reportable segments is calculated by dividing Adjusted operating income by Net Sales. Management believes that presentation of Adjusted Operating Income Margin provides useful supplemental information about our operating performance and enables comparison of our performance between periods because certain costs shown below are not indicative of our current operating performance. A reconciliation of GAAP operating income margin for each of our reportable segments to adjusted operating income margin for each of our reportable segments is as follows:

Adjusted net income attributable to Pilgrim's Pride Corporation ("Pilgrim's") is calculated by adding to net income attributable to Pilgrim's certain items of expense and deducting from net income attributable to Pilgrim's certain items of income, as shown below in the table. Adjusted net income attributable to Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation per common diluted share is presented because it is used by management, and we believe it is frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties, in addition to and not in lieu of results prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP, to compare the performance of companies. Management also believe that this non-U.S. GAAP financial measure, in combination with our financial results calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP, provides investors with additional perspective regarding the impact of such charges on net income attributable to Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation per common diluted share. Adjusted net income attributable to Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation per common diluted share is not a measurement of financial performance under U.S. GAAP, has limitations as an analytical tool and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for an analysis of our results as reported under U.S. GAAP. Management believes that presentation of adjusted net income attributable to Pilgrim’s provides useful supplemental information about our operating performance and enables comparison of our performance between periods because certain costs shown below are not indicative of our current operating performance. A reconciliation of net income attributable to Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation per common diluted share to adjusted net income attributable to Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation per common diluted share is as follows:

Adjusted EPS is calculated by dividing the adjusted net income attributable to Pilgrim's stockholders by the weighted average number of diluted shares. Management believes that Adjusted EPS provides useful supplemental information about our operating performance and enables comparison of our performance between periods because certain costs shown below are not indicative of our current operating performance. A reconciliation of U.S. GAAP to non-U.S. GAAP financial measures is as follows: