Van ECK Associates Corp Has $387.27 Million Stock Holdings in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,247,213 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 531,281 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned 3.10% of Campbell Soup worth $387,273,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CPB. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Campbell Soup during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Campbell Soup in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in Campbell Soup during the third quarter worth approximately $48,000. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Campbell Soup during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC increased its holdings in Campbell Soup by 77.7% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 481 shares during the period. 52.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,000 shares of the business’s 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 owns 16,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $693,486.90. The trade was a 10.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 20.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Campbell Soup Trading Up 0.3 %

Campbell Soup stock opened at $38.06 on Thursday. 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 fifty-two week low of $36.92 and a fifty-two week high of $52.81. The stock has a market cap of $11.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.80, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.19. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $40.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $45.31.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, December 3rd. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Campbell Soup Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This is a boost from Campbell Soup’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 85.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on CPB shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $51.00 target price on shares of Campbell Soup in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $51.00 price objective on shares of Campbell Soup in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Campbell Soup from $45.00 to $43.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $44.00 to $41.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded Campbell Soup from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $47.00 to $56.00 in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Campbell Soup currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.17.

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.