JBS S.A. on Monday said it is maintaining its sales and profitability targets despite an outbreak of a hybrid swine, avian and human influenza (H1N1).

Concern that the influenza would cause consumers to eat less of the company's U.S.-produced pork caused JBS's stock price to fall to its lowest level in six months in Sao Paulo trading, according to Bloomberg.

Those concerns are not shared by JBS, which said any shortfall in pork consumption would be compensated by an increase in beef demand and noted its pork operation represents only 14 percent of the company's revenue.

"Our pork business is a spread business," JBS USA CEO Wesley Batista said in a statement. "We buy and process hogs, so any eventual demand reduction would be immediately reflected in the prices. In this scenario, we believe we can maintain our margins in the pork business."

Share shear

JBS is just one of the world's major meat producers whose stocks are being impacted by the flu outbreak. Other share prices to decline on Monday, according to Stephens Inc. analyst Farha Aslam, were Smithfield Foods (down 12 percent to 13 percent) and Tyson Foods (nearly 9 percent).

Meanwhile, shares of Hormel, down only 2 percent, held up fairly well, and those of Sanderson Farms traded up fractionally on expectations that consumers will shift to chicken from pork.

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