The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) Shares Sold by Financial Counselors Inc.

Financial Counselors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 29,353 shares of the company’s stock after selling 454 shares during the quarter. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $1,229,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 1,593.8% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,904,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $91,623,000 after acquiring an additional 1,792,005 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in Campbell Soup by 161.8% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 186,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,801,000 after purchasing an additional 115,122 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV acquired a new stake in shares of Campbell Soup in the fourth quarter valued at $1,062,000. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Campbell Soup by 133.3% in the fourth quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. now owns 147,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,156,000 after buying an additional 84,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 34.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 165,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,096,000 after buying an additional 42,216 shares during the period. 52.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,551 shares in the company, valued at $693,486.90. This represents a 10.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 20.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Campbell Soup Stock Up 1.1 %

CPB stock opened at $39.58 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $11.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.63, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.15. 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 Campbell Soup Company has a twelve month low of $36.92 and a twelve month high of $52.81. The company’s 50 day moving average is $39.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.17.

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

Campbell Soup Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.94%. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on CPB shares. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Campbell Soup from $51.00 to $44.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Campbell Soup from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Campbell Soup in a research report on Monday. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $40.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on Campbell Soup from $45.00 to $41.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.