Campbell’s (NASDAQ:CPB) Cut to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Campbell’s (NASDAQ:CPB) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note released on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on CPB. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Campbell’s from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $28.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Campbell’s from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Campbell’s from $27.00 to $23.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Campbell’s from $28.00 to $23.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on Campbell’s from $29.00 to $24.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and seven have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $27.65.

Campbell’s Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CPB opened at $21.71 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $26.76 and a 200 day moving average of $29.35. The company has a market capitalization of $6.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.42 and a beta of -0.03. Campbell’s has a 52 week low of $21.59 and a 52 week high of $40.59.

Campbell’s (NASDAQ:CPB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter. Campbell’s had a return on equity of 19.96% and a net margin of 5.48%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.74 EPS. Campbell’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.250 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Campbell’s will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Campbell’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. Campbell’s’s payout ratio is 85.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 11,550 shares of Campbell’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.14, for a total transaction of $325,017.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 43,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,231,884.78. The trade was a 20.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.51, for a total transaction of $71,577.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 25,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $669,748.64. The trade was a 9.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 19.78% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Campbell’s

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Campbell’s by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 19,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $777,000 after acquiring an additional 685 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Campbell’s by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 660,543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,369,000 after acquiring an additional 27,374 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Campbell’s during the 1st quarter worth about $446,000. Woodline Partners LP lifted its stake in Campbell’s by 40.9% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 16,623 shares of the company’s stock worth $664,000 after purchasing an additional 4,827 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Campbell’s by 333.3% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 975 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares during the last quarter. 52.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Campbell’s News

Here are the key news stories impacting Campbell’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Appointment of Joshua Levine as Chief Investor Relations Officer could improve investor communication and help reset expectations. Campbell’s Appoints Joshua Levine Chief Investor Relations Officer
• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein kept an “outperform” stance (though cut its PT), signaling that some analysts still see upside from here. Bernstein Maintains Outperform
• Neutral Sentiment: DA Davidson reaffirmed coverage with a $30 price target, which implies significant upside but keeps a cautious posture. DA Davidson Reaffirms Neutral
• Neutral Sentiment: Several brokers trimmed price targets (Deutsche Bank to $23, Morgan Stanley to $25, Stifel to $25, RBC to $26) and shifted ratings to hold/sector perform — these are mixed signals that reduce near-term upside but stop short of broad sell recommendations. Analyst Price Target Changes
• Negative Sentiment: Q2 results disappointed: EPS missed, revenue fell ~5% Y/Y and organic sales declined ~3%; management lowered FY26 guidance (EPS range 2.15–2.25), prompting analysts to cut forecasts. This is the primary driver of the sell-side reaction. Campbell’s posts one of worst quarters
• Negative Sentiment: UBS moved to a “sell” rating and lowered its target to $20 — a direct negative catalyst because that PT sits below the current market price and signals increased downside from a major broker. UBS Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo downgraded CPB as part of a broader caution on packaged-food names, citing inflation, weak consumption and promotional pressure — adds sector-level headwinds to company-specific issues. Wells Fargo Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators describe the quarter as one of Campbell’s weakest in years; shares already gapped down after the print and analyst model cuts suggest pressure on near-term earnings and dividend coverage. Market Reaction to Weak Quarter

Campbell’s Company Profile

Campbell’s (NASDAQ: CPB) is a leading manufacturer of shelf-stable foods and beverages, best known for its iconic soups and broths. Headquartered in Camden, New Jersey, the company offers a diverse portfolio of products designed to meet consumer demand for convenient, affordable meals and snacks. Since its founding in 1869, Campbell’s has grown through a combination of organic innovation and strategic acquisitions to expand its presence in the food industry.

The company’s brand portfolio includes Campbell’s Condensed Soups, V8 juices, Prego pasta sauces, Swanson broths and stocks, Pace salsas and dips, and Pepperidge Farm baked snacks.