Meat producer Tyson Foods (TSN 0.56%) reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings this morning, and shares have bounced up as a result. Guidance for the coming fiscal year, as well as a dividend boost, also gave investors something to cheer about.
Tyson saw a 28% jump in quarterly operating profit, and sales growth of 7% to $8.89 billion. Chicken and beef sales saw growth in the quarter, though pork sales declined 5.6%. For the coming fiscal year, Tyson expects production of chicken, beef, pork, and turkey to increase a modest 1%.
Motley Fool analyst Jason "Likes His Chicken Spicy" Moser believes Tyson Foods has two standout opportunities in the coming year. Tyson's prepared foods segment is not a large portion of the business, but Jason believes it can flex some pricing power there. Additionally, Tyson has an excellent avenue for growth in China, where it can tout the cleanliness and safety of its products in a market that has historically suffered from problems with avian flu. At 15 times earnings, Jason likes this stock.
