Aviva PLC Sells 9,944 Shares of The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Aviva PLC lowered its stake in shares of The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB - Free Report) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 515,552 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,944 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned approximately 0.17% of Campbell Soup worth $21,591,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CPB. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Campbell Soup by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,625,605 shares of the company's stock worth $989,440,000 after buying an additional 447,203 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Campbell Soup by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,048,679 shares of the company's stock worth $491,581,000 after acquiring an additional 298,203 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of 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. Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. now owns 6,925,365 shares of the company's stock valued at $290,034,000 after purchasing an additional 35,160 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Campbell Soup by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,323,332 shares of the company's stock valued at $222,420,000 after purchasing an additional 57,717 shares in the last quarter. 52.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Campbell Soup Trading Up 1.0 %

NASDAQ CPB traded up $0.36 on Friday, hitting $38.14. 4,110,969 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,762,038. The company's 50-day moving average price is $39.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.03. The company has a market capitalization of $11.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19. The Campbell Soup Company has a 52-week low of $36.02 and a 52-week high of $52.81. 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 - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Campbell Soup had a return on equity of 23.79% and a net margin of 5.57%. The firm had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.74 billion. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 EPS for the current year.

Campbell Soup Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.09%. Campbell Soup's dividend payout ratio is 90.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Consumer Edge reiterated an "equal weight" rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $51.00 to $44.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Campbell Soup from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $48.00 to $37.00 in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Campbell Soup from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Campbell Soup to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $44.86.

Insider Activity at Campbell Soup

In other news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of Campbell Soup stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.03, for a total transaction of $99,994.94. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 37,590 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,727.70. The trade was a 6.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 20.19% of the company's stock.

Campbell Soup Company 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.