The takeaway
Pilgrims Pride Corp shows a pronounced seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in April (+7.5%) and softest in September (−5.0%).
Right now
In July, the stock has risen 60% of years, averaging +1.7% — essentially in line with the S&P 500.
The full picture
Pilgrims Pride Corp's most dependable month has been April, higher in 7 of 10 years; September has been its least reliable, up just 30% of the time.
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Month by month
The stock's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in August (+6.4 pts); it has trailed the market most in September (−4.9 pts).
“vs S&P” is Pilgrims Pride Corp’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Pilgrims Pride Corp’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, April has closed higher 60% of the time versus 70% across the last 10 years — the pattern is weakening.
Figures are the typical (median) April return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 10(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 10-year window even if you zoom the chart, so it never disagrees with the badges above.
In plain English
Dependability is the through-line here. April stands out, higher in 7 of 10 Aprils, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
Its average (+7.5%) and median (+6.9%) land within a hair of each other — the tell of steady, year-after-year gains rather than one outlier doing the work. That reliability comes with real swings, mind — even April ranges by 10.5% from year to year, so any single year can land far from the average. Crucially, the gain is the stock's own rather than a rising tide's: April has cleared the S&P 500 by +5.8 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages April only about 55% of the time.
A few other months pull their weight: March, July, and August have also closed higher more often than not. The weaker half of the year is plainer: September has been the soft spot — the weakest of 3 months that average a loss (−5.0%), and the edge isn't year-round — the stock has trailed the S&P 500 in September, December, and June. Its roughest month on record was a −21.7% February in 2020 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
The pattern has softened of late, April's last five years slipping below its longer-run record.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: April aside, the stock's months offer little reliable tilt.
Short answers on the stock's best month (April), its worst (September), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a pronounced degree. Since 2016 its best month (April, +7.5%) has run well ahead of its worst (September, −5.0%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
April has been the strongest, averaging +7.5% and closing higher in 7 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −5.0% — historically a soft spot, though it still varies from year to year.
Explore
These names have the strongest July track records on record — a starting point for comparison.
Before you trade