Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Cuts Position in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. reduced its stake in shares of The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB - Free Report) by 26.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 94,286 shares of the company's stock after selling 33,888 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $3,949,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on CPB. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Campbell Soup from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $48.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Campbell Soup from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on Campbell Soup from $45.00 to $41.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Campbell Soup currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $44.86.

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Campbell Soup Price Performance

NASDAQ CPB traded down $1.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $38.79. The stock had a trading volume of 5,119,745 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,728,129. 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's 50 day moving average is $39.16 and its 200 day moving average is $42.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.20, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19.

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

Campbell Soup Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.02%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Campbell Soup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 90.17%.

Insider Activity

In other Campbell Soup news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.03, for a total transaction of $99,994.94. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 37,590 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,504,727.70. This trade represents a 6.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 20.19% of the company's stock.

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.