Founded in 1935 and headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, Tyson Foods (TSN) is one of the largest food companies in the world. They produce, distribute and market chicken, beef, pork, prepared foods and related products.

They currently operate in the US, China, and India and sell food all over the world. Their products are marketed and sold primarily by sales staff to grocery retailers, grocery wholesalers, meat distributors, military commissaries, industrial food processing companies, chain restaurants, international export companies and domestic distributors.

The company owns some of the industry leading brands including Tyson, Jimmy Dean, Hillshire farm, Ball Park, State Fair and Aidells. They currently produce about 1 in 5 pounds of chicken, beef and pork in the US.

Solid Quarterly Results

Tyson Foods reported better-than-expected results, beating on both the top and bottom lines. Adjusted earnings of $1.28 per share were ahead of the Zacks Conesus Estimate and up 6% year over year. Net sales increased 4.8% to $9.85 and also beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate.

 “We expect strong global demand for protein and superior focus on the fundamentals will contribute to a favorable operating environment in our Beef and Pork segments. In our Chicken segment, we will build our business through continued capacity expansion, No Antibiotics Ever and organic products, innovation and strong support of the Tyson brand,” said the CEO.

“In the Prepared Foods segment, we continue to strengthen our business through improved execution in our foodservice operations, on-trend protein innovation and the integration of AdvancePierre.”

Rising Estimates

Analysts have been raising their estimates for the company after stronger than expected results and updated guidance. Zacks Consensus Estimates for the current and next year are now $5.09 per share and $5.30 per share, up from $5.06 and $4.95 respectively, before the results.

Tyson Foods, Inc. Price and Consensus

Tyson Foods, Inc. Price and Consensus | Tyson Foods, Inc. Quote

 The Bottom Line

According to company research, many consumers are deliberately increasing protein in their diet and as such protein demand has been growing strongly. With their portfolio of leading brands across all major meat protein categories, they are uniquely positioned to benefit from growing demand.Their expansion in the faster growing markets outside of the US, including China and India, will also drive growth going forward.

Trading at a forward PE of 12.75, TSN shares look attractive from a valuation perspective too.In addition to a top Zacks Stock Rank, the stock has Zacks Style Scores of “A” for Value and “B” for VGM. It also has a nice dividend yield of 1.4%.