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

The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the seventeen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have given a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $44.86.

A number of research firms have weighed in on CPB. Barclays dropped their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Campbell Soup from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. DA Davidson cut their target price on Campbell Soup from $46.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on Campbell Soup from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 6th.

Campbell Soup Trading Down 2.6 %

Shares of CPB stock opened at $38.79 on Monday. Campbell Soup has a 1 year low of $36.92 and a 1 year high of $52.81. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $39.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $42.71. The company has a market cap of $11.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.20, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.50.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 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% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Campbell Soup will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Campbell Soup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 4.02%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio is 90.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of Campbell Soup stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.03, for a total transaction of $99,994.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 37,590 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,504,727.70. The trade was a 6.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 20.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Campbell Soup

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quent Capital LLC increased its stake in Campbell Soup by 150.3% in the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 2,753 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,000 after purchasing an additional 1,653 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in Campbell Soup by 53.0% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 541 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Campbell Soup by 25.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,752 shares of the company’s stock valued at $450,000 after buying an additional 2,156 shares in the last quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH purchased a new stake in Campbell Soup in the 4th quarter valued at about $135,000. Finally, QSM Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in Campbell Soup in the 4th quarter worth about $6,556,000. 52.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.