Money | mergers and acquisitions Tyson Wins Hillshire Farms Sweepstakes—for $7.7B Almost $1B more than rival Pilgrim's Pride offered By Kevin Spak Posted Jun 9, 2014 11:38 AM CDT Copied This file photo combo shows a package of frozen Tyson Chicken Nuggets, left, and a package of Hillshire Farm sausage, in Palo Alto, Calif. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File) Tyson Foods has won the bidding war to buy Hillshire Brands, topping an offer from rival Pilgrim's Pride by almost a billion dollars, the Wall Street Journal reports. Tyson will pay $63 a share in cash for Hillshire, which makes Jimmy Dean sausages and Ball Park franks, among other food products. The deal values the company at $7.7 billion. Pilgrim's Pride had offered $55 a share. Tyson's CEO explained the big offer by saying that companies like Hillshire "don't become available too often." Read These Next A family hike took a tragic turn in Arkansas on Saturday. Delta pilot arrested moments after landing plane. Multiple people shot at Reno casino. Kim Jong Un's sister shows up with biting words. Report an error