Cerity Partners LLC Purchases 625,010 Shares of The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB - Free Report) by 294.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 837,301 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 625,010 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC owned 0.28% of Campbell Soup worth $35,115,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sherman Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Campbell Soup in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 45.5% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 927 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in Campbell Soup in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Quent Capital LLC raised its position in Campbell Soup by 77.7% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,100 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 481 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Campbell Soup during the fourth quarter worth $47,000. 52.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of Campbell Soup stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.03, for a total value of $99,994.94. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 37,590 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,727.70. The trade was a 6.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 20.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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Campbell Soup Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of CPB traded up $0.36 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $38.14. 4,110,969 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,762,038. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $42.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.37 billion, a PE ratio of 20.84, a PEG 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.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 23.79%. The firm had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.74 billion. The business's revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Campbell Soup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Campbell Soup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Campbell Soup from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Campbell Soup from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Campbell Soup in a research note on Monday, March 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Campbell Soup to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $44.86.

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.