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☆ China's big pig breeders dig in as losses and debts mount
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Dominique Patton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

BEIJING, Dec 4 (Reuters) - The biggest pig breeders in China, consumer of fully half the world's pork, seem to have bitten off more than they can chew. More huge losses are expected next year, putting China's pig enterprises under pressure to slim down their breeding herds and sell off farms, many of which are sitting empty. But now, especially given the companies' high debt levels, the analyst said: "It's hard for them to borrow any money from the banks." That follows a 17% surge in the first nine months of this year at China's 15 big market-listed breeders even as they reported 200 billion yuan in combined net losses. China's agriculture ministry has warned of heavier losses for the sector in early 2024 than a year ago and urged pig producers to cut output.

Persons: Lyle Jones, Hope Liuhe, they're, Flora Zhu, Dominique Patton, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Inc, Dalian Commodity Exchange, Tech - Bank, Jiangxi Zhengbang Technology, Analysts, Muyuan Foods, Foodstuff, WH, HK, Smithfield Foods, Hua'an Securities, China Corporate Research, Fitch, Beijing, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Fujian Aonong, Jiangxi, Beijing

☆ Chinese-owned pork producer Smithfield prepares for US listing -WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A painted pig stands on the lawn of Smithfield Foods executive offices in Smithfield, Virginia May 30, 2013. REUTERS/Rich-Joseph Facun/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 18 (Reuters) - Smithfield Foods' Chinese owner WH Group (0288.HK) is working with banks to take the U.S.-based pork producer public again in the United States, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Smithfield could list its shares as early as next year, the WSJ reported, adding the deliberations are ongoing and the timing could change. Smithfield and WH Group did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. WH Group bought Smithfield in 2013 in a $4.7-billion deal aimed at tapping the massive supplies of U.S. meat for export to China.

Persons: Joseph Facun, Rishabh, Savio D'Souza Organizations: Smithfield Foods, REUTERS, WH, Wall Street, WSJ, WH Group, Missouri Worker, Thomson Locations: Smithfield , Virginia, HK, U.S, United States, Smithfield, China . Virginia, Missouri, Bengaluru

April 12 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Tuesday approved a $75 million settlement between Smithfield Foods Inc and a class of consumers who accused the pork producer of conspiring to restrict supply in order to keep prices artificially high. Pork consumers last year settled with Smithfield rival JBS SA for $20 million. The judge in a separate order on Tuesday awarded nearly $25 million in legal fees to the plaintiffs firms representing the consumer class. The consumer class attorneys said in a court filing in January that they'd spent more than 37,000 hours pursuing antitrust claims over four years. The case is In re Pork Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota, No.

☆ Smithfield Foods CEO Defends Pork Producer’s Chinese Ownership
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Patrick Thomas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Smithfield’s ownership has become a focus of criticism in Washington, D.C.SMITHFIELD, Va.—Smithfield Foods Inc., the country’s largest pork producer, is defending its turf against growing concerns from lawmakers over Chinese control of U.S. agriculture. The Virginia company, which was acquired in 2013 by Chinese pork company WH Group Ltd., said its ownership has helped fuel steady growth over the past decade and export more of its products to China, the world’s biggest pork market. Shane Smith , Smithfield’s chief executive, said WH’s backing has helped the company increase its sales, hire more U.S. workers and expand its plants’ processing capabilities.

☆ Analysts love these stocks that are flush with cash — giving one over 75% upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"We prefer companies generating cash rather than those that need capital to grow. The higher the free cash flow yield, the better a company's position to meet its debt obligations. A company with a high free cash flow is also able to access cash more quickly in the event of an emergency or opportunity. Using FactSet data, CNBC Pro screened for stocks that boast lots of cash and could be well positioned for a rocky year. U.S.-listed Chesapeake Energy Corporation was the only energy stock to appear on the screen, with its free cash flow yield at nearly 14%.

The pork industry has defended the size of the cages used at pig farms as humane and necessary for animal safety. A legal doctrine called the "dormant" Commerce Clause bars states from passing laws discriminating against commerce in other states. "If you're looking for an example of an unconstitutional law, this is it," said Michael Formica, chief legal strategist for the pork producers. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court's decision to throw out the lawsuit, finding no Commerce Clause violation. 'DRAMATIC EXPANSION'A ruling by the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, favoring the pork industry would have major implications for Commerce Clause interpretation, according to some legal experts.

☆ Smithfield Foods to pay $75 mln in pork price-fixing settlement
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sept 27 (Reuters) - Smithfield Foods Inc has agreed to pay $75 million to settle a lawsuit by consumers who accused the meat producer and several competitors of conspiring to inflate prices in the $20 billion-a-year U.S. pork market by limiting supply. The accord follows the judge's Sept. 14 approval of a similar $20 million settlement between consumers and JBS SA (JBSS3.SA), one of Smithfield's largest rivals. The Smithfield, Virginia-based company, a unit of WH Group Ltd (0288.HK), denied liability but settled to avoid the uncertainty, risk and cost of litigation, settlement papers show. In the pork litigation, Smithfield previously reached settlements of $83 million with so-called "direct" purchasers such as Maplevale Farms and $42 million with commercial purchasers, a group that includes restaurants. The case is In re Pork Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota, No.

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