Sciencast Management LP Invests $1.05 Million in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Sciencast Management LP bought a new position in shares of The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 24,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,046,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CPB. Sherman Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Campbell Soup during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 period. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Campbell Soup during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Quent Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 77.7% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 481 shares during the period. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Campbell Soup during the fourth quarter worth $47,000. 52.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CPB has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays reduced their target price on Campbell Soup from $49.00 to $46.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Campbell Soup from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $48.00 to $37.00 in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Consumer Edge reissued an “equal weight” rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a report on Monday, March 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.23.

Campbell Soup Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CPB opened at $38.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.91. The Campbell Soup Company has a 1 year low of $36.92 and a 1 year high of $52.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.81, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.15. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $39.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.47.

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 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 analysts’ expectations of $2.74 billion. The company’s revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Campbell Soup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.10%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.90, for a total transaction of $83,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $693,486.90. The trade was a 10.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 20.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Campbell Soup Company 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.