Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Has $3.24 Million Position in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its position in shares of The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) by 16.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 77,260 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,914 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $3,236,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Campbell Soup by 1,593.8% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,904,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $91,623,000 after buying an additional 1,792,005 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 43.8% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,228 shares of the company’s stock worth $451,000 after acquiring an additional 2,809 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in Campbell Soup by 161.8% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 186,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,801,000 after acquiring an additional 115,122 shares during the period. ING Groep NV acquired a new stake in Campbell Soup during the 4th quarter valued at $1,062,000. Finally, Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Campbell Soup by 133.3% during the fourth quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. now owns 147,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,156,000 after purchasing an additional 84,000 shares during the period. 52.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Campbell Soup Stock Performance

Shares of Campbell Soup stock opened at $38.18 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $39.06 and a 200-day moving average of $43.32. The company has a market cap of $11.38 billion, a PE ratio of 20.86, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 1-year low of $36.92 and a 1-year high of $52.81.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.74 billion. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Campbell Soup Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.09%. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 90.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on CPB shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $49.00 to $46.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Campbell Soup from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Consumer Edge reissued an “equal weight” rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Campbell Soup in a report on Monday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $40.00 price objective on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $44.86.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.90, for a total value of $83,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $693,486.90. This represents a 10.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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.