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SAFM on NASDAQ

Sanderson Farms

Logo: Sandersin Farms, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons5

American food and agriculture company

Sanderson Farms is an American poultry producer which is based in Laurel, Mississippi. It is the third largest poultry producer in the United States and produces 13.65 million chickens per week. On July 22, 2022, it merged with Wayne Farms to form Wayne-Sanderson Farms.3 Its shares trade on NASDAQ under the symbol SAFM.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

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Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1947Founded1

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  • TickerSAFM on NASDAQ1
  • Industryfood industry, poultry farming1
  • HeadquartersLaurel1
  • Founded inLaurel1
  • Websitesandersonfarms.com
  • Legal formDelaware corporation1
  • Incorporated inMS6
  • Business address225 N 13Th Ave, Po Box 988, Laurel, Ms 394416
  • Filer categoryLarge accelerated filer6
  • LEI529900KZGVFTWHUO27594
  • StatusActive4
  • LEI statusLapsed (not renewed)4
  • Registered addressc/o THE CORPORATION TRUST COMPANY, CORPORATION TRUST CENTER 1209 ORANGE ST, 19801 Wilmington, United States4
  • Registered withDivision of Corporations, Department of State, 69275774

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Sanderson Farms is an American poultry producer which is based in Laurel, Mississippi. It is the third largest poultry producer in the United States and produces 13.65 million chickens per week.3

Financials

From the company’s reports to the SEC. Every number links to the filing it came from.

Key numbers, fiscal 2021

12.5%Operating margin8
9.5%Net margin8
34.7%Revenue growth, 20218
24.6%Return on equity8
0.00×Debt to equity8
$457.1MFree cash flow8

Where the money goes

Where each dollar of revenue went, fiscal 2021

  • Cost of revenue81¢$3.9B
  • Selling, general and admin6¢$295.8M
  • Interest0¢$2.5M
  • Income tax3¢$141.3M
  • Profit9¢$455.1M

Out of $4.8B in revenue.8

Where each dollar of operating cash went, fiscal 2021

  • Capital spending27¢$166.3M
  • Dividends paid6¢$39.3M
  • Kept or used elsewhere67¢$417.8M

Out of $623.5M of cash from operations.8

Financial statements

Revenue9108$4.8B in 2021+71% since 2015
0$2.0B$4.0B$6.0B2015: $2.8B$2.8B20152016: $2.9B$2.9B2016+3%2017: $3.4B$3.4B2017+19%2018: $3.3B$3.3B2018−3%2019: $3.4B$3.4B2019+4%2020: $3.6B$3.6B2020+4%2021: $4.8B$4.8B2021+35%
Operating income91011128$598.9M in 2021+78% since 2015
-$200.0M0$200.0M$400.0M$600.0M2015: $336.0M$336.0M20152016: $294.1M$294.1M2016−12%2017: $425.2M$425.2M2017+45%2018: $29.7M$29.7M2018−93%2019: $68.0M$68.0M2019+129%2020: -$11.6M-$11.6M20202021: $598.9M$598.9M2021
Net income91011128$455.1M in 2021+111% since 2015
0$200.0M$400.0M$600.0M2015: $216.0M$216.0M20152016: $189.0M$189.0M2016−13%2017: $279.7M$279.7M2017+48%2018: $61.4M$61.4M2018−78%2019: $53.3M$53.3M2019−13%2020: $28.3M$28.3M2020−47%2021: $455.1M$455.1M2021+1510%
Fiscal year2015201620172018201920202021
Revenue$2.8B9$2.9B10$3.4B10$3.3B10$3.4B8$3.6B8$4.8B8
Cost of revenue$2.3B9$2.4B10$2.7B11$3.0B12$3.2B8$3.4B8$3.9B8
Selling, general and admin$155.1M9$159.9M10$216.3M11$222.0M12$211.1M8$205.8M8$295.8M8
Operating expenses$4.2B8
Operating income$336.0M9$294.1M10$425.2M11$29.7M12$68.0M8-$11.6M8$598.9M8
Interest$2.1M9$1.7M10$1.9M11$2.1M12$4.2M8$5.2M8$2.5M8
Income before tax$596.4M8
Income tax$118.1M9$103.7M10$144.8M11-$30.9M12$10.6M8-$44.6M8$141.3M8
Net income$216.0M9$189.0M10$279.7M11$61.4M12$53.3M8$28.3M8$455.1M8
Earnings per share$9.529$8.3710$12.3011$2.7012$2.418$1.278$20.388
Earnings per share (diluted)$9.529$8.3710$12.3011$2.7012$2.418$1.278$20.388
Shares (weighted, basic)22.0M shares8
Shares (weighted, diluted)22.0M shares8

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Corporate structure

Sanderson Farms sits at the top of its group. 1 entity, 1 country on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

Major holders of Sanderson Farms

  • Sanderson Farms Laurel, Mississippi, United States

Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

What it owns

What Sanderson Farms reports owning in its annual reports to the SEC: buildings, land and equipment, real estate and locations, investments, intangible assets and inventory, at the end of its latest fiscal year and a year before.

Property and equipment

ItemLatestA year beforeChange
Machinery and equipment$1.4B12 Oct 31, 2020$1.2B12 Oct 31, 2019+9.3%
Construction in progress$16.9M12 Oct 31, 2020$11.1M12 Oct 31, 2019+51.7%
Property and equipment, before depreciation$2.4B8 Oct 31, 2021$2.3B8 Oct 31, 2020+5.9%
Accumulated depreciation$1.2B8 Oct 31, 2021$1.1B8 Oct 31, 2020+12.7%
Property and equipment, net$1.2B8 Oct 31, 2021$1.2B8 Oct 31, 20200%
Operating-lease assets (leased space)$28.2M8 Oct 31, 2021$40.8M8 Oct 31, 2020−30.8%

Investments

ItemLatestA year beforeChange
Cash and cash equivalents$439.3M8 Oct 31, 2021$49.1M8 Oct 31, 2020+795.5%

Inventory

ItemLatestA year beforeChange
Inventory, total$351.0M8 Oct 31, 2021$290.0M8 Oct 31, 2020+21.0%

The story

The company was founded in 1947 by D.R. Sanderson, Sr.

In 1961, the company merged with Miss Goldy’s Chicken company.

In 1987, it became a publicly listed company.

In 2020, the company made more than $3.5 billion, processing more than 4.8 billion pounds of meat. In 2021, the company employed more than 17,000 people.

In August 2021, it was announced that Sanderson Farms was sold to global food corporation Cargill, in a joint venture with Continental Grain Co. for $4.5 billion. The sale will combine Sanderson Farms with Continental subsidiary Wayne Farms to create a new, privately held chicken production company.

In March 2022, the finalization of the sale was uncertain due to the investigations from the United States Department of Justice;

but on July 22, 2022, Wayne Farms merged with Sanderson Farms to form Wayne-Sanderson Farms.

From Wikipedia’s article on Sanderson Farms, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.7

Leadership

Who has led Sanderson Farms, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Chief executive

  1. Joe F. Sanderson Jr.2006–2022

Chair

  1. Joe F. Sanderson Jr.2006–2022

President

  1. Lampkin Butts2006–2022

Chief financial officer

  1. D. Michael Cockrell2007–2022

Chief operating officer

  1. Lampkin Butts2006–2022
197019801990200020102020
Board members and other officers (20)

Products and brands

  • chicken as food

Listed on Wikidata.1

Mississippi

Louisiana

Texas

Georgia

Read the full text

North Carolina

From Wikipedia’s article on Sanderson Farms, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.7

Timeline

  1. Jul 22, 20228-K Ended a material agreement; Completed an acquisition or sale; Listing notice or transfer38
  2. Jun 29, 20228-K Other events39
  3. Dec 21, 20218-K Other events40
  4. Oct 27, 20218-K Other events41
  5. Oct 25, 20218-K Executive or director change; Regulation FD disclosure42
  6. Oct 22, 20218-K Shareholder vote; Other events43
  7. Oct 15, 20218-K Other events44
  8. Jan 4, 2006New chief executive Joe F. Sanderson Jr. becomes CEO17
  9. 1987Went public Listed on NASDAQ1
  10. 1947Founded Founded in Laurel1

Filings

84 filings to the SEC since October 2021: 2 annual reports, 2 quarterly reports, 7 major events, 51 insider forms, 6 large holders, 16 other. The latest 20:

  1. Feb 8, 2023SC 13G/A NUANCE INVESTMENTS LLC EDGAR
  2. Aug 1, 202215-12G EDGAR
  3. Jul 26, 20224 FORM 4 SUBMISSION EDGAR
  4. Jul 26, 20224 FORM 4 SUBMISSION EDGAR
  5. Jul 26, 20224 FORM 4 SUBMISSION EDGAR
  6. Jul 26, 20224 FORM 4 SUBMISSION EDGAR
  7. Jul 26, 20224 FORM 4 SUBMISSION EDGAR
  8. Jul 26, 20224 FORM 4 SUBMISSION EDGAR
  9. Jul 26, 20224 FORM 4 SUBMISSION EDGAR
  10. Jul 26, 20224 FORM 4 SUBMISSION EDGAR
  11. Jul 26, 20224 FORM 4 SUBMISSION EDGAR
  12. Jul 26, 20224 FORM 4 SUBMISSION EDGAR
  13. Jul 26, 20224 FORM 4 SUBMISSION EDGAR
  14. Jul 26, 20224 FORM 4 SUBMISSION EDGAR
  15. Jul 26, 20224 FORM 4 SUBMISSION EDGAR
  16. Jul 26, 20224 FORM 4 SUBMISSION EDGAR
  17. Jul 25, 2022EFFECT EDGAR
  18. Jul 25, 2022EFFECT EDGAR
  19. Jul 22, 202225-NSE EDGAR
  20. Jul 22, 2022S-8 POS EDGAR

The 84 filings since October 2021 can be filtered by form type and year here when JavaScript is on.

Every filing from the last five years, summarized. The full record is on SEC EDGAR.

Major holders

Investors who own more than 5% of the shares must tell the SEC: a 13D if they may seek to influence the company, a 13G if they hold passively.

SEC filer profile

How Sanderson Farms is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, from its EDGAR record and the cover page of its latest annual report.

  • Name on EDGARSANDERSON FARMS INC2
  • CIK0000812128
  • Employer ID (EIN)64-06158432
  • Filer statusLarge accelerated filer2
  • Incorporated inMississippi2
  • Fiscal year endsOctober 312
  • Industry code (SIC)2015 Poultry Slaughtering and Processing2
  • Business address225 N 13Th Ave, Po Box 988, Laurel, MS 394412
  • Mailing address225 N 13Th Avenue, Po Box 988, Laurel, MS 394412
  • Phone60164940302
  • Shares outstanding22,320,192 as of May 24, 202214
  • Public float$3.1B as of Apr 30, 202149
  • On EDGAR sinceJan 25, 19952
  • Filings2,209 in all: 4 (1,507), 8-K (193), SC 13G/A (87), 10-Q (83), 4/A (55), SC 13G (48), 10-K (28), DEF 14A (27)2
    All 40 form types

    SC 13D/A (26), SC 13D (22), DEFA14A (21), 3 (14), UPLOAD (11), CORRESP (9), 8-K/A (8), ARS (8), 5 (7), S-8 POS (7), 10-Q/A (5), S-8 (5), EFFECT (4), 10-K/A (3), 144 (3), POSASR (3), PRE 14A (3), PX14A6G (3), S-3ASR (3), 8-A12B/A (2), POS AM (2), S-3 (2), 15-12G (1), 25-NSE (1), 424B2 (1), 424B5 (1), 5/A (1), 8-A12B (1), 8-A12G (1), DEFM14A (1), DEFR14A (1), PREM14A (1)

  • Latest filingsAnnual report (10-K) Dec 21, 2021
    Quarterly report (10-Q) May 27, 2022
    Proxy statement (DEF 14A) Jan 14, 2021
    Latest 8-K (8-K) Jul 22, 2022

Sources

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