Pilgrim's Pride Corp. announced that it has acquired Moy Park, a leading poultry and prepared foods supplier with operations in the United Kingdom and Continental Europe, from JBS SA, in a transaction valuing the equity interest of Moy Park at approximately $1.0 billion (or approximately £790 million based on a 1.31 exchange rate as of September 8, 2017), implying an enterprise value of approximately $1.3 billion (or approximately £1.0 billion). The transaction was unanimously approved by a Special Committee of the Pilgrim's Board of Directors. Comprised entirely of independent equity directors elected to the Board by a vote controlled by the shareholders unaffiliated with JBS S.A., the Special Committee was delegated the full authority of the Pilgrim's Boards of Directors with respect to the transaction.
"We are pleased to announce the acquisition of Moy Park, which will position Pilgrim's to become a global player, with an improved and more stable margin profile on the chicken business and an expanded portfolio of prepared foods," said Bill Lovette, Pilgrim's Chief Executive Officer. "Following our successful acquisitions of GNP and the assets in Mexico, Moy Park represents a logical next step in the evolution of our geographical and brands footprint. The acquisition gives us access to the attractive UK and European markets, which advances our strategy of diversifying our portfolio to be more global while reducing volatility across our businesses. We will have new business opportunities through the addition of Moy Park's fully integrated poultry production platform and its strong presence in prepared foods. Moy Park strengthens Pilgrim's' leading portfolio of brands and brings strong value-added innovation capabilities, access to new markets, a best-in-class production platform and strong farmer partner relationships. In addition, Moy Park shares Pilgrim's long-standing commitment to become the best and most respected company in our industry."