Russell Investments Group Ltd. Reduces Stock Position in Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its holdings in Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 343,785 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,844 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $14,858,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CPB. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 2,269.3% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,715,761 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,643,000 after acquiring an additional 3,558,933 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in Campbell Soup by 62.3% in the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,453,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,714,000 after purchasing an additional 557,948 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Campbell Soup by 19.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,157,930 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,648,000 after purchasing an additional 349,485 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Campbell Soup by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,035,674 shares of the company’s stock valued at $206,865,000 after buying an additional 318,983 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 78.6% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 545,542 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,411,000 after buying an additional 240,123 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 52.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CPB has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Campbell Soup in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. They issued a “sell” rating and a $41.00 price objective for the company. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of Campbell Soup in a report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $48.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $47.00 price target on shares of Campbell Soup in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Campbell Soup in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $49.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Campbell Soup currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.38.

Campbell Soup Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of CPB opened at $44.88 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $13.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.23. Campbell Soup has a 1 year low of $37.94 and a 1 year high of $55.04. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $43.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $42.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.43.

Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 6th. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.44 billion. Campbell Soup had a net margin of 8.26% and a return on equity of 23.18%. The firm’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.80 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Campbell Soup will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Campbell Soup Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 4th were paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.30%. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.81%.

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.