Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) in a report published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage issued an equal weight rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Campbell Soup to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Consumer Edge reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a report on Monday, March 17th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Campbell Soup from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Campbell Soup from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Campbell Soup currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $44.86.

Campbell Soup Price Performance

CPB stock opened at $39.14 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.15. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $39.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $43.23. Campbell Soup has a 52-week low of $36.92 and a 52-week high of $52.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Campbell Soup had a return on equity of 23.79% and a net margin of 5.57%. The business had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.74 billion. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Campbell Soup will post 3.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Campbell Soup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio is presently 90.17%.

Insider Transactions at Campbell Soup

In other Campbell Soup news, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.90, for a total value of $83,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,551 shares in the company, valued at $693,486.90. This represents a 10.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 20.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 25.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,752 shares of the company’s stock worth $450,000 after purchasing an additional 2,156 shares in the last quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH purchased a new stake in Campbell Soup during the 4th quarter worth about $135,000. QSM Asset Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Campbell Soup in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,556,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of Campbell Soup during the fourth quarter worth $10,462,000. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Campbell Soup during the 4th quarter worth about $264,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.35% of the company’s stock.

About Campbell Soup

Campbell Soup Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets food and beverage products in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Meals & Beverages and Snacks segments. The Meals & Beverages segment engages in the retail and foodservice businesses in the United States and Canada.