The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the seventeen analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have assigned a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $44.86.

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Campbell Soup from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Bank of America cut their target price on Campbell Soup from $45.00 to $41.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Campbell Soup from $51.00 to $44.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Campbell Soup from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $48.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their target price on Campbell Soup from $46.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th.

Campbell Soup Price Performance

CPB opened at $38.79 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $39.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.71. The company has a market capitalization of $11.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.20, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19. Campbell Soup has a 12-month low of $36.92 and a 12-month high of $52.81.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Campbell Soup had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 23.79%. The business had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.74 billion. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Campbell Soup will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Campbell Soup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.02%. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.17%.

Insider Activity at Campbell Soup

In other news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.03, for a total transaction of $99,994.94. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 37,590 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,504,727.70. This trade represents a 6.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 20.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Campbell Soup

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Campbell Soup by 1,593.8% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,904,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $91,623,000 after purchasing an additional 1,792,005 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 272.7% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,243,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,949,000 after buying an additional 1,641,400 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc grew its stake in Campbell Soup by 1,296.1% in the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 1,407,161 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,932,000 after acquiring an additional 1,306,372 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Campbell Soup by 38.2% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,645,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $194,556,000 after acquiring an additional 1,282,957 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Campbell Soup during the fourth quarter worth $50,908,000. 52.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.