Machina Capital S.A.S. Invests $540,000 in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Machina Capital S.A.S. purchased a new stake in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 12,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $540,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 1,593.8% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,904,440 shares of the company's stock worth $91,623,000 after acquiring an additional 1,792,005 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its holdings in Campbell Soup by 43.8% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,228 shares of the company's stock worth $451,000 after buying an additional 2,809 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in Campbell Soup by 161.8% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 186,277 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,801,000 after buying an additional 115,122 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV acquired a new position in shares of Campbell Soup in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,062,000. Finally, Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 133.3% during the fourth quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. now owns 147,000 shares of the company's stock worth $6,156,000 after acquiring an additional 84,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 52.35% of the company's stock.

Campbell Soup Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CPB traded down $1.38 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $38.58. 3,799,529 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,588,604. The company has a market cap of $11.50 billion, a PE ratio of 21.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.15. The Campbell Soup Company has a twelve month low of $36.92 and a twelve month 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. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.08.

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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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.74 billion. Campbell Soup had a return on equity of 23.79% and a net margin of 5.57%. Campbell Soup's revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Campbell Soup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Campbell Soup's dividend payout ratio is currently 90.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CPB has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Campbell Soup from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $45.00 to $41.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Citigroup cut 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Campbell Soup from $51.00 to $44.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Campbell Soup presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $45.50.

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.