WH Group had already said it planned to sell 20% of Smithfield in a listing expected to value the company at US$5.38 billion ($7.32 billion) or more. The IPO comes more than a decade after WH Group acquired the maker of Farmer John sausages for US$4.7 billion — then the largest Chinese takeover of a US company.
Smithfield Foods Inc., the world’s largest pork producer, has filed for its initial public offering in the US, joining a growing number of firms pursuing market debuts this year.
The company and an indirectly-owned subsidiary of its owner, Hong Kong-listed WH Group Ltd., are both offering shares in the listing, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday. WH Group will maintain control of the company after the listing.
