Smithfield Foods (NASDAQ:SFD) Upgraded to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Smithfield Foods (NASDAQ:SFD) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Sunday.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on SFD. Zacks Research upgraded Smithfield Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Smithfield Foods from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Smithfield Foods from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have given a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.38.

Smithfield Foods Price Performance

Shares of SFD opened at $26.69 on Friday. Smithfield Foods has a 12 month low of $18.55 and a 12 month high of $26.74. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $24.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.04. The stock has a market cap of $10.50 billion, a PE ratio of 10.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.12.

Smithfield Foods (NASDAQ:SFD) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 24th. The company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $4.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.19 billion. Smithfield Foods’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.52 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Smithfield Foods

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of Smithfield Foods by 94.0% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 3,634,709 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,343,000 after purchasing an additional 1,760,713 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its position in shares of Smithfield Foods by 653.3% during the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,664,585 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,084,000 after buying an additional 1,443,605 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Smithfield Foods in the fourth quarter worth $31,291,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Smithfield Foods by 583.6% in the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,212,144 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,461,000 after buying an additional 1,034,814 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its holdings in Smithfield Foods by 553.2% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,061,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,930,000 after acquiring an additional 899,200 shares in the last quarter.

Key Smithfield Foods News

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

Smithfield Foods Company Profile

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.