First Trust Advisors LP Has $50.94 Million Position in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

First Trust Advisors LP cut its position in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB - Free Report) by 11.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,216,233 shares of the company's stock after selling 164,217 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.41% of Campbell Soup worth $50,936,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in CPB. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Campbell Soup by 1.9% during 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 during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 6.1% during 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 during the period. Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 0.5% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 1.1% in the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Campbell Soup by 38.2% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,645,548 shares of the company's stock worth $194,556,000 after purchasing an additional 1,282,957 shares in the last quarter. 52.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Campbell Soup Price Performance

NASDAQ:CPB opened at $37.88 on Wednesday. The Campbell Soup Company has a 12-month low of $36.02 and a 12-month high of $52.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $39.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.74 billion. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Campbell Soup Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Investors 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 4.12%. Campbell Soup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 90.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Campbell Soup

In related news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 20.19% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Campbell Soup from $45.00 to $41.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Campbell Soup from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Campbell Soup from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Campbell Soup from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Consumer Edge restated an "equal weight" rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $44.86.

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.

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