South Africa’s biggest chicken producer set to grow earnings by 375%

Astral has confirmed that it expects its interim earnings to increase by between 375% and 395%, while its headline earnings per share are set to grow by up to 470%.

Astral is South Africa’s largest integrated poultry producer, with about 37 million birds on farm at any given time, supplying approximately 5.2 million broilers per week to processing plants.

The company specialises in animal feeds, broiler genetics, day-old chicks, and chicken processing and distribution. Astral owns well-known brands such as Goldi Chicken, County Fair, Meadow Feeds, and Mountain Valley.

In a trading statement released on Wednesday, 29 April, Astral outlined its expected earnings for the first half of its 2026 financial year.

This first half covers the six months ended 31 March 2026, with Astral previously saying this period was marked by higher demand for poultry products.

Over the same period, poultry selling prices recovered after a long period of deflation, boosting Astral’s earnings.

The poultry producer expects its earnings per share to increase by between 375% and 395%, to reach between 2,242 and 2,336 cents per share.

Its headline earnings per share are expected to grow by 450% to 470% to between 2,250 and 2,331 cents per share.

In a March trading statement, Astral attributed this strong growth to several positive developments, including strong demand for poultry products.

This higher demand resulted in increased sales and enabled Astral to increase broiler production volumes.

On the back of these higher production volumes, Astral’s feed division also benefited from an increase in internal and external poultry feed sales.

The producer also highlighted the impact of improved poultry margins, driven by lower feed input costs and lower soft commodity prices.

“Astral’s balance sheet remains in a healthy position, as a result of the improved financial performance and prudent cash management,” the group said. 

“Astral’s relentless focus on executing its best cost producer strategy remains central to the group’s activities.”

Astral will release its results for the six months through March 2026 on 18 May.