Strong consumer demand continues to support companies in the Zacks Food – Meat Products industry, with protein remaining a staple in diets and shoppers increasingly gravitating toward leaner cuts, premium offerings and cleaner-label options. Innovation is also helping leading players stay relevant, as companies introduce convenient, value-added formats and expand into specialty and hybrid protein products that align with evolving health and lifestyle trends.However, the industry still faces headwinds from t ...

French President Emmanuel Macron will lobby his Xi Jinping this week to try to avert tariffs on dairy and pork exports to China https://t.co/7OOTSbPJDr ...

Company Overview - Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) produces a variety of meat and prepared food products, including beef, pork, chicken, and ready-to-eat meals [2]. Investment Perspective - Jim Cramer expressed a favorable view on Tyson Foods, highlighting that the stock has performed better than Hormel despite trading sideways for years. Tyson has managed its challenges more effectively and has shown steady earnings growth since a significant reset in 2022 [1].

STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images This post originally appeared in the First Trade newsletter. You can sign up for Business Insider's daily markets newsletter here. In this morning's First Trade newsletter, we highlighted five things investors have had to be thankful for in 2025. Sticking with the Thanksgiving and Black Friday theme, we thought we'd highlight a few food and toy-related stocks for you to chew on. On Monday, I spoke with Megan Clapp, a food and leisure analyst at Morgan Stanley, who sha ...

Market Trends - More than half of Americans prefer a protein other than turkey for Thanksgiving, according to the Tyson Foods Holiday Survey [1] - Chicken, pork, and beef are the top alternative protein choices [1]

Food Price Inflation Drivers - Food prices have been accelerating in recent months due to supply chain issues [1] - Tariffs, especially on Brazil, have impacted coffee prices [2] - Bird flu is raising wholesale turkey prices [3] - US cattle herd being at a multi-year low is driving up beef prices, with beef up about 15% year-over-year and ground beef up about 13% [5][6] - Disease in hog herds has led to increased pork prices [11][12] Retail Strategies - Retailers like Kroger and Albertson's are trying to keep prices lower through promotions and cost-cutting to attract consumers [4] - Retailers are promoting more private label products and deals to keep prices steady for consumers [15] Protein Market Dynamics - Protein demand is robust among American consumers, driving up meat prices [12] - Chicken prices have remained relatively stable due to restaurant promotions [10] Future Outlook - Pork prices could turn around faster than beef prices [14] - Beef price relief is not expected in the near future due to the two-year biological clock for cattle herd rebuilding and Tyson Foods reducing beef production [7][8][14] - Egg prices could spike in December and January if bird flu affects egg-laying flocks [14]

Market Trends - More than half of Americans prefer a protein other than turkey for Thanksgiving, according to the Tyson Foods Holiday Survey [1] - Chicken, pork, and beef are the top alternative protein choices [1]

Core Insights - The article discusses the potential of consumer defensive stocks, highlighting those with more than 50% upside potential in the current market environment [5][10]. Group 1: Market Analysis - Michel Lerner from UBS emphasizes the importance of focusing on quality defensive stocks rather than solely on value stocks, which may carry higher risks in uncertain economic conditions [2][3]. - Defensive stocks, particularly in Europe, have underperformed, resembling trends seen during the dot-com bubble, but are now presenting more attractive valuations [3][4]. - Earnings pressures for some defensive stocks are beginning to ease, providing a hedge in a risk-on market environment [4]. Group 2: Stock Recommendations - JBS N.V. (NYSE:JBS) has an analyst upside of 51.40% with a price target set at $20 by Bank of America Securities, despite recent adjustments to EBITDA and EPS forecasts due to challenges in the US chicken market [10][11][12]. - BioHarvest Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:BHST) shows an analyst upside of 51.52% and has entered a strategic agreement with Saffron Tech to develop saffron-derived compounds, aiming for large-scale production and direct-to-consumer marketing [13][15][16].

Group 1 - JBS N.V. is considered one of the best large-cap stocks with more than 50% upside potential [1] - JPMorgan analyst Lucas Ferreira reduced the price target for JBS N.V. to $20 from $21 while maintaining an Overweight rating [1][2] - Barclays analyst Benjamin Theurer maintained a Buy rating on JBS N.V. with a price target of $22 [3] Group 2 - The US chicken margin is expected to be challenging for JBS N.V. in the near term following a 23.5% price drop from its recent peak [2] - The industry is experiencing higher-than-expected supply due to better mortality and placements, despite anticipated price drops after summer [2] - JBS N.V. is a food company that sells pork, beef, lamb meat, and poultry products to various retail and foodservice channels [3]

Group 1 - Major U.S. pork producers have agreed to pay nearly $200 million to settle allegations of a price-fixing scheme that inflated prices for consumers and grocery stores [3][4] - The lawsuit, initiated in 2018, claims that eight leading U.S. pork producers colluded to manipulate production levels and enhance profitability from 2009 to 2021, controlling over 80% of the pork market [3] - Tyson Foods' pork brands, which include Hillshire Farms and Wright Brand bacon, accounted for 11% of the company's $53 billion sales in fiscal year 2024 [4] Group 2 - Tyson Foods has agreed to pay $85 million, marking the largest settlement in a price-fixing case that has been ongoing for seven years, surpassing Smithfield Foods' previous $75 million settlement [7] - The lawsuit alleges that Tyson and other major producers used the Agri Stats platform to artificially raise pork prices by intentionally limiting supply [7] - Tyson has faced multiple allegations of price-fixing, including a $221 million settlement related to chicken prices in 2021 [5]