Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Decreases Stock Holdings in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. reduced its position in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB - Free Report) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 262,098 shares of the company's stock after selling 14,696 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. owned 0.09% of Campbell Soup worth $10,958,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings 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 worth $91,623,000 after purchasing an additional 1,792,005 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Campbell Soup by 88.2% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,192,610 shares of the company's stock worth $58,342,000 after purchasing an additional 558,944 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in Campbell Soup by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 9,247,213 shares of the company's stock worth $387,273,000 after purchasing an additional 531,281 shares in the last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC bought a new position in Campbell Soup in the fourth quarter worth about $14,769,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Campbell Soup by 6.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,265,615 shares of the company's stock worth $256,827,000 after purchasing an additional 322,951 shares in the last quarter. 52.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.90, for a total transaction of $83,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,551 shares in the company, valued at $693,486.90. This trade represents a 10.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 20.19% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and set a $51.00 price objective on shares of Campbell Soup in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $44.00 to $41.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $49.00 to $46.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $45.00 to $43.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $51.00 price objective on shares of Campbell Soup in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $50.17.

Campbell Soup Stock Performance

Campbell Soup stock traded up $0.48 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $38.64. The company had a trading volume of 2,029,277 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,829,161. 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 12-month low of $36.92 and a 12-month high of $52.81. The company's fifty day moving average is $39.77 and its 200-day moving average is $44.99. The company has a market capitalization of $11.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.19.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 3rd. The company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.02. Campbell Soup had a return on equity of 23.79% and a net margin of 5.57%. Equities research analysts predict that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 EPS for the current year.

Campbell Soup Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were given a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.04%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 2nd. This is a positive change from Campbell Soup's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Campbell Soup's dividend payout ratio is currently 85.25%.

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.