SMITHFIELD, VA. – Pork producer Smithfield Foods Inc. confirmed its filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for an initial public offering.

The company applied to list its share of common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market with the symbol “SFD.”

Last month, WH Group, the company that currently owns Smithfield Foods, approved that spin-off plan.

“The company’s existing shareholder, identified in the registration statement, is also expected to sell shares of the company’s common stock in the proposed offering,” Smithfield Foods said in an investor relations statement. “The timing, the number of shares that may be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined. The offering is subject to market conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the offering.”

In July, WH Group confirmed the proposed spin-off with its interest in listing the pork producer in the two American markets.