Born out of the Great Depression, Tyson Foods, Inc. (TSN) began in 1935 when John W. Tyson hauled chickens to market from Springdale, Arkansas. Fast forward to today, and the once-humble poultry hustle has evolved into a protein empire, with a market cap of $19.5 billion. With operations spanning the globe - from the U.S. to Europe and Thailand - Tyson now leads in beef, chicken, and pork production. Still family-rooted and future-facing, it is rewriting the food playbook with innovation, scale, and an unshaken grip on protein dominance.
Companies worth $10 billion or more are generally described as “large-cap stocks,” and Tyson Foods earned the stripe by scaling from chicken trucks to global protein kingpin. With powerhouse brands like Tyson, Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, and Ball Park in its corner, it is not just feeding America, it is shaping what’s on the plate. Strategic acquisitions, international expansion, and demand for prepared foods helped fatten its market cap over the decades.
Despite its heavyweight status in protein, Tyson’s stock took a gut punch - dropping 18.8% from its 52-week high of $66.88 achieved on Sept. 9. Over the past three months alone, TSN stock slid 10.2%, trailing far behind the Nasdaq Composite’s ($NASX) 11.7% ascent during the same time frame.
In the longer term, TSN stock is down 5.4% on a YTD basis and 1.5% over the past 52 weeks, underperforming the Nasdaq Composite’s 1.2% surge in 2025 and 9.4% returns over the past year.
Tyson’s chart is bleeding technical weakness. Since late May, TSN stock has been trading beneath both its 50- and 200-day moving averages. With the 50-day slicing below the 200-day, TSN flashes a ‘death cross’ – indicating an intensifying bearish momentum and a market fast losing its taste for TSN.
Tyson Foods is facing a storm it can’t grill its way out of. Despite solid name recognition, the company’s fundamentals are wearing thin. Revenue growth over the past few years has been underwhelming, reflecting a business that’s struggling to find new momentum. Margins are tight - too tight for comfort in a sector that thrives on scale and pricing power.
Its beef division, once the heavyweight, is now dragging, posting deep operating losses amid a perfect storm of drought, reduced herds, and consumer pushback on rising prices. Tariff headwinds and legal troubles around alleged price-fixing have only deepened the bruises. Even though chicken is flying higher, it is not enough to offset the broader weakness.
Tyson’s EPS decline reveals a deeper issue: growing revenues have not translated into growing profits. As demand shifts and inflation eats into spending, the company feels stuck, navigating a landscape that no longer tastes like predictable success.
In the packaged food battleground, Pilgrim's Pride Corporation (PPC) struts ahead, while Tyson’s crown looks shaky. PPC stock clocked in a 1.1% YTD rise and a juicy 29.2% gain over 52 weeks. While both stumbled recently, PPC’s 7.6% dip over the past three months bruises less than TSN’s deeper cut.
Wall Street analysts, offering recommendations for TSN, are cautiously optimistic about the stock’s prospects. The stock has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating from the nine analysts covering it, and the mean price target of $63.80 suggests a potential upside of 17.4% from current price levels.
