The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $50.17.

CPB has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $51.00 price target on shares of Campbell Soup in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Campbell Soup from $44.00 to $41.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $51.00 target price on shares of Campbell Soup in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $45.00 to $43.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th.

Campbell Soup Stock Performance

NASDAQ CPB opened at $38.60 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $40.06 and a 200-day moving average of $45.19. The stock has a market cap of $11.51 billion, a PE ratio of 21.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.19. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 3rd. The company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.02. Campbell Soup had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 23.79%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Campbell Soup will post 3.15 EPS for the current year.

Campbell Soup Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.04%. This is an increase from Campbell Soup’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 85.25%.

Insider Activity at Campbell Soup

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Campbell Soup

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of CPB. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Campbell Soup in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Sherman Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Campbell Soup during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Campbell Soup in the third quarter valued at $39,000. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in Campbell Soup by 45.5% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 927 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in Campbell Soup in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.