Pilgrim's Pride (NASDAQ: PPC) reported Q1 EPS of $0.27, $0.10 better than the analyst estimate of $0.17. Revenue for the quarter came in at $3.07 billion versus the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion.

First Quarter Highlights

• Net Sales of $3.07 billion.
• Net GAAP Income of $67.3 million, including one-time $0.09 per share gain on case settlement.
• Operating Income margins of 4.4% in U.S., -7.3% in Mexico and 2.8% in Europe operations, respectively.
• Adjusted EBITDA of $165.5 million, or a 5.4% margin.
• Strong focus in execution and dedication by our team members, combined with portfolio strategy of differentiated products, strong Key Customer relationships, and diversified global footprint reducing volatility of specific market conditions, especially under unprecedented Covid-19 impact at end of first quarter.
• U.S. continues to improve our relative performance versus the industry across all business units, supported by our business model and agility in changing mix.
• Mexico experiencing weak macro conditions persisting longer than expected, partially offset by growth in Prepared Foods.
• Operating results from legacy European business (Moy Park) at strong levels with increasing operational efficiencies and input cost mitigation. Newly acquired operations continue to generate positive EBITDA, and remain on track to achieve performance comparable to leading companies with similar portfolio in next few years.
• Our liquidity position remains strong, supported by our emphasis on cash flow generation, focus on working capital management, and disciplined investments in high-return projects, preserving the opportunity to maintain strategic priorities to continue strengthening our differentiated global platforms.

“We are grateful to our team members for their commitment, dedication, and continued hard work, in supporting our ability to keep our team members safe and healthy, while maintaining production and supply to our customers during this unprecedented crisis. Despite the volatile and challenging markets in Q1, in part due to Covid-19, our strategy has continued to achieve solid results in relative performance to industry competition, and deliver more resilient performance regardless of changes in specific market conditions. Operating results in Europe significantly improved but were more than offset by difficult market dynamics in the U.S. and Mexico. In spite of the difficult global macro conditions, our results have remained well-balanced, and are the result of our vision to become the best and most respected company, creating the opportunity of a better future for our team members. To support our vision, we are continuing our strategy of developing a unique portfolio of diverse, complementary business models, continuing to relentlessly pursue operational excellence, becoming a more valued partner with Key Customers, and creating an environment for safe people, safe products and healthy attitudes,” stated Jayson Penn, Chief Executive Officer of Pilgrim's.

“In the U.S., the market tracked normal seasonality initially during Q1 before wider implementations of travel and movement restrictions due to Covid-19 disrupted retail and foodservice channel demand. The large bird deboning market was especially volatile during the quarter and remained challenging compared to 2019. Operationally however, we continue to improve our relative performance versus the industry across all our business units, including large bird deboning. We also adapted quickly to the change in channel demand by shifting the mix of our production capabilities, supported by our close partnerships with Key Customers, strong focus in execution by our team members, the geographical diversity of our footprint, and our presence across all bird size categories.”

“Market environment in Mexico during Q1 was difficult as weak macro conditions persisted longer than expected, contributing to uncertainties in consumer spending. Prices, especially in the traditional markets, were below seasonal expectations before rebounding to reach normal levels by the end of the quarter. Our increased share of non-commodity products, strong execution, and growth in Prepared Foods, have helped to partially offset the weakness.”

“The legacy European operations once again delivered robust results in Q1, maintaining the trend achieved in the last three quarters of 2019. We generated revenue that was in-line with last year while operating income significantly improved year on year, and was 8% higher than the previous quarter. Our newly acquired European operations also performed well and continued to generate positive EBITDA. The increase in performance was driven by robust demand at retail, partially offset by a reduction in foodservice, continuing strength in pork exports especially to China, as well as the initial implementations of operational improvements.”

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