United States-The Largest beef company in the US.

UNITED STATES.

FORECAST FOR COMPANY RESULTS.

It has been a tumultuous time for Tyson, which saw the resignation of Richard Bond as chief executive officer earlier this month. Bond has been replaced by former CEO Leland Tollett as the world’s largest meat processor continues to weather a downturn in the industry.

And it has been quite a decline. The nation’s largest chicken producer, Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December, saying it was hobbled by volatile feed prices and high debt loads.

Meat makers across the industry have been seeing their profits squeezed due to input costs that reached record highs over the summer, and a market that continues to have weak demand as consumers pull back on spending. They’ve been trying to push through production cuts, in order to bolster pricing.

Also during the quarter, Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson signed a new agreement with its creditors that puts up just about the entire company as collateral for its loans, saying the move gives it greater financial flexibility. That can be helpful considering lenders are being tight with their money amid the credit crisis.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect the company to post a loss of 23 cents a share, excluding items, on revenue of $6.82 billion for the quarter ended in December.

Stephens Inc. analyst Farha Aslam has said new CEO Tollett will be able to take over the company fairly quickly to lead it through this tough time. Tollett was CEO of Tyson from 1995 until he retired in 1998 after nearly 40 years with the company.

Aslam also said in a note that the appointment of Donnie Smith as senior group vice president of poultry and prepared foods, establishes a clearer management structure and should facilitate faster decision-making.

Tollett has said he’s in place to improve the company’s business and could be around for a few months, or longer, until a permanent replacement is found. In addressing employees recently after he returned to the company’s helm, Tollett said there were no major layoffs planned and his first responsibility was to return Tyson’s chicken division to profitability.

The company holds its annual meeting on Feb. 6.

Tyson’s shares fell 32 percent during the quarter to finish at $8.76.