Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Increases Stake in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its position in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB - Free Report) by 16.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 77,260 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 10,914 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC's holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $3,236,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Achmea Investment Management B.V. boosted its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 22,406 shares of the company's stock worth $938,000 after buying an additional 2,376 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Campbell Soup by 635.8% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,539 shares of the company's stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 3,058 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Campbell Soup by 25.3% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 18,594 shares of the company's stock worth $779,000 after purchasing an additional 3,755 shares during the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its stake in shares of Campbell Soup by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 11,460 shares of the company's stock worth $480,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in Campbell Soup in the fourth quarter valued at $207,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.35% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on CPB shares. Barclays reduced their price objective on Campbell Soup from $49.00 to $46.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Bank of America reduced their price target on Campbell Soup from $45.00 to $41.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Campbell Soup from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Campbell Soup to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Campbell Soup from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Campbell Soup currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $44.86.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Campbell Soup news, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,000 shares of Campbell Soup stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.90, for a total value of $83,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,551 shares in the company, valued at $693,486.90. The trade was a 10.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 20.19% of the company's stock.

Campbell Soup Price Performance

Shares of CPB traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $39.72. 2,014,581 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,705,660. The firm has a market cap of $11.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.70, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.15. The Campbell Soup Company has a one year low of $36.92 and a one year high of $52.81. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $39.08 and a 200-day moving average of $43.03. 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 results on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Campbell Soup had a return on equity of 23.79% and a net margin of 5.57%. The company had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.74 billion. The company's revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Campbell Soup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.93%. Campbell Soup's payout ratio is presently 90.17%.

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.