Pilgrim's Pride at end of temporary credit line

MILWAUKEE -- The sky could be falling on Pilgrim's Pride Corp., the chicken industry's biggest producer.

With its temporary financing ending on Tuesday and credit markets tight all around, the company faces an uncertain future. Some analysts say it could file for bankruptcy, though Pilgrim's Pride has said that option is unlikely. Others say the company is ripe for a buyout, either in whole or in part, by competitors.

Whatever the case, analysts say Pilgrim's Pride, whose chairman has been with the company since its beginnings six decades ago, must change.

"We find it unlikely that the company, under pressure from its bankers and advice from its consultant, will continue in its current form," Deutsche Bank North America analyst Christina McGlone wrote last week. "Essentially, Pilgrim's Pride as we know it today will cease to exist."

Company spokesman Gary Rhodes said Pilgrim's Pride won't be making any comments. Earlier this month, he was widely quoted as saying that filing for bankruptcy wouldn't be in "anyone's best interest."

He told The Associated Press this month that the company was working on a plan to help it address industry woes like weak demand and pricing and an oversupply of chicken. He also said it was looking at opportunities to refinance and find more ways to operate more efficiently.

"We recognize that, given the recent uncertainty in the stock market and the credit markets, there will be speculation and rumors about Pilgrim's Pride," he wrote in an e-mail.

The company's stock tumbled sharply in late September on worries about its credit and future, and has nearly eroded. It closed Friday at $2.17, down 12.5% or 31 cents. It's down nearly 93% from its 52-week high of $30.15.

The entire meat industry is hurting, but Pilgrim's — which has just under a quarter of the chicken market — is perhaps more so because of its high debt rate and bad bets on hedging, analysts say.

Producers have seen their profit margins shrink as costs for commodities like corn and oil rose this year. They tried to hedge their purchases, but as those prices have moderated, some are losing money on the deals. Pilgrim's Pride cited hedging woes in predicting a "significant loss" for the fourth quarter last month.