Tyson Foods shares regain some ground

Tyson shares gained 60 cents, or 4.5 percent, to $14.28 in afternoon trading. The stock, which has traded between $12.81 and $24.32 during the past 52 weeks, lost 8 percent after the ratings announcement late Tuesday.

Fitch Ratings cut the Springdale, Ark.-based company's unsecured debt rating to "BB+," the highest noninvestment grade, citing the effect of surging grain costs on Tyson's chicken operations.

On Thursday, a BMO Capital Markets analyst Kenneth B. Zaslow said the collapse in Tyson's stock price creates an attractive buying opportunity for investors.

"Tyson's stock price, in our view, reflects an overreaction to credit concerns and poor chicken fundamentals, despite the fact that Tyson distinguishes itself from the chicken processors with its diversified protein portfolio," Zaslow said.