NEW YORK, Oct. 20, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation (“Pilgrim’s Pride” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq:PPC) and certain of its officers.   The class action, filed in United States District Court, District of Colorado, Denver Division, and docketed under 16-cv-02611, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired Pilgrim’s Pride securities between February 21, 2014  and October 6, 2016 inclusive (the “Class Period”).  This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). 

If you are a shareholder who purchased Pilgrim’s Pride securities during the Class Period, you have until December 19, 2016 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class.  A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com.   To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll free, ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased. 

[Click here to join this class action]

Pilgrim’s Pride engages in the production, processing, marketing, and distribution of fresh, frozen, and value-added chicken products to retailers, distributors, and foodservice operators in the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects.  Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that:  (i) Pilgrim’s Pride systematically colluded with several of its industry peers to fix prices in the market for broiler chickens (i.e., chickens raised specifically for meat production); (ii) the foregoing conduct constituted a violation of federal antitrust laws; (iii) consequently, Pilgrim’s Pride’s revenues during the class period were the result of illegal conduct; and (iv) as a result of the foregoing, Pilgrim’s Pride’s public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. 

On September 2, 2016, the market had its first inkling of Defendants’ fraud, when food distributor Maplevale Farms, Inc. (“Maplevale”) filed an antitrust class action complaint in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against Pilgrim’s Pride and several other poultry producers, including Tyson Foods, Inc. (“Tyson”), alleging that Pilgrim’s Pride and the other companies named in the complaint had conspired since 2008 to manipulate the prices of broiler chicken in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.

Between September 7, 2016 and October 7, 2016, seven more class action complaints were filed against Pilgrim’s Pride and other poultry companies in the Northern District of Illinois, on behalf of individual consumers and indirect purchasers of broiler chickens, all alleging that Pilgrim’s Pride and its industry peers had engaged in the price-manipulation scheme described in Maplevale’s complaint.

On October 7, 2016, Pivotal Research downgraded Tyson from “Hold” to “Sell.”  Explaining the downgrade, analyst Timothy Ramey directed investors’ attention to the allegations of price manipulation by Pilgrim’s Pride, Tyson, and their industry peers and described the Maplevale complaint as “powerfully convincing.”

On news that Pivotal had downgraded Tyson on the strength of the price-manipulation allegations against Tyson, Pilgrim’s Pride, and the other poultry companies named in the Maplevale complaint, Pilgrim’s Pride’s share price fell $0.95, or 4.5%, to close at $20.16 on October 7, 2016.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com

CONTACT:
Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
rswilloughby@pomlaw.com

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