Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Increases Holdings in The Campbell's Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in The Campbell's Company (NASDAQ:CPB - Free Report) by 15.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,030,627 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 550,210 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 1.35% of Campbell's worth $168,790,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sherman Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Campbell's during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Principal Securities Inc. increased its stake in Campbell's by 45.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 927 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Campbell's during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Quent Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Campbell's by 77.7% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,100 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 481 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Campbell's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on CPB. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Campbell's from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Campbell's from $51.00 to $44.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Campbell's in a report on Monday, March 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Campbell's from $45.00 to $41.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Consumer Edge restated an "equal weight" rating on shares of Campbell's in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $44.27.

Campbell's Price Performance

Shares of CPB traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $35.77. 435,913 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,753,875. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $38.84 and a 200-day moving average of $41.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The Campbell's Company has a one year low of $35.35 and a one year high of $52.81. The firm has a market cap of $10.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.54, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19.

Campbell's (NASDAQ:CPB - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Campbell's had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 23.79%. The business had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.74 billion. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Campbell's Company will post 3.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Campbell's Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.36%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 3rd. Campbell's's payout ratio is 90.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.03, for a total transaction of $99,994.94. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 37,590 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,504,727.70. This trade represents a 6.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 20.19% of the company's stock.

Campbell's Profile

The Campbell's Company, formerly known as 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.