Smithfield Foods (NASDAQ:SFD) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Smithfield Foods (NASDAQ:SFD) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

SFD has been the subject of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Smithfield Foods from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Smithfield Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Smithfield Foods from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have issued a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $29.38.

Smithfield Foods Stock Performance

SFD opened at $26.69 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $10.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.63, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.12. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $24.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.04. Smithfield Foods has a twelve month low of $18.55 and a twelve month high of $26.74.

Smithfield Foods (NASDAQ:SFD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 24th. The company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $4.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.19 billion. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.52 earnings per share.

Smithfield Foods Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 7th will be given a dividend of $0.3125 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 7th. This is a positive change from Smithfield Foods’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.7%. Smithfield Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.84%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SFD. Strs Ohio boosted its position in Smithfield Foods by 76.5% in the 3rd quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 1,080 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 468 shares during the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Smithfield Foods during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Smithfield Foods by 88.2% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,099 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 515 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Smithfield Foods during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new position in Smithfield Foods in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000.

Smithfield Foods News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Smithfield Foods this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat, stronger margins and dividend increase — Smithfield reported better-than-expected FQ4 results (revenue +7% to $4.23B; EPS beat) and the board raised the dividend to $1.25/share, supporting income-oriented investors and signaling cash-flow strength. Shares Gap Up on Better-Than-Expected Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and bullish notes are lifting sentiment — Zacks moved SFD from “Hold” to “Strong Buy” and Morgan Stanley published a note saying the stock is expected to rise, both providing fresh buy-side impetus. Zacks Upgrade Morgan Stanley Note
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat bullish technical/valuation case points to a clear upside path — coverage argues Smithfield is undervalued (~9x earnings vs. peers), highlights margin improvement, a raised dividend, and sees a path to ~$30/share driven by volume, analyst target increases and a breakout above prior highs. MarketBeat $30 Article
• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition of Nathan’s Famous (expected H1 close) is accretive to branded packaged-meats margin — completing the $450M deal gives Smithfield full brand ownership, removes licensing fees and should boost margin and higher-margin packaged products. InsiderMonkey on Nathan’s Acquisition
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst consensus is constructive but not unanimous — several services show a “moderate buy” consensus, indicating broad support but limited coverage depth; watch for follow-on revisions from major sell-side firms. Consensus Moderate Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro and input-cost volatility could be a two-way force — an article notes rising food and plastics prices tied to geopolitical tensions (Iran war), which can lift selling prices but also raise processing/packaging costs; net impact depends on pass-through and mix. MSN Macro/Costs
• Negative Sentiment: Segment margin pressure remains in places — MarketBeat notes some margin pressure in Packaged Meats and Other segments (partly offset elsewhere), so investors should monitor whether operational improvements and pricing fully offset cost headwinds. MarketBeat on Margins

About Smithfield Foods

Smithfield Foods, Inc (NASDAQ: SFD) is one of the world’s largest pork processors and hog producers. Founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia, the company has grown from a regional ham producer into a fully integrated food company offering a broad range of fresh pork, value-added meats and prepared foods. Its product portfolio includes bacon, ham, sausage, ribs and deli meats marketed under well-known brands such as Smithfield®, Nathan’s Famous® and Eckrich®.

Smithfield operates a network of hog production facilities, processing plants and distribution centers across the United States, Europe and Latin America.