By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB – Free Report) by 27.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,091 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,067 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $339,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CPB. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Campbell Soup in the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 907,798 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,019,000 after purchasing an additional 10,580 shares in the last quarter. Allianz SE acquired a new stake in Campbell Soup in the 4th quarter valued at $128,000. Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. increased its stake in Campbell Soup by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. now owns 6,925,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $290,034,000 after purchasing an additional 35,160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allstate Corp acquired a new position in Campbell Soup during the fourth quarter worth $245,000. 52.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Insider Activity
In other news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of Campbell Soup stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.03, for a total value of $99,994.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 37,590 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,504,727.70. The trade was a 6.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 20.19% of the company’s stock.
Campbell Soup Stock Up 1.0 %
Campbell Soup stock opened at $38.14 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The company has a market capitalization of $11.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $38.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $42.16. The Campbell Soup Company has a twelve month low of $36.02 and a twelve month high of $52.81.
Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $2.74 billion. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 EPS for the current year.
Campbell Soup Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.09%. Campbell Soup’s payout ratio is 90.17%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on CPB shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Campbell Soup from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $48.00 to $37.00 in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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 Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. 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 report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Campbell Soup from $51.00 to $44.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $44.86.
Campbell Soup Profile
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.
Further Reading
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