Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Acquires New Shares in Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB)

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. bought a new stake in Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 49,390 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,416,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blair William & Co. IL increased its stake in shares of Campbell Soup by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 43,869 shares of the company's stock worth $1,982,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. increased its position in Campbell Soup by 1.3% during the third quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 20,147 shares of the company's stock worth $986,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its stake in Campbell Soup by 0.3% in the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 87,845 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,297,000 after buying an additional 283 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 4.0% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,538 shares of the company's stock valued at $369,000 after buying an additional 287 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 7.4% in the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 4,225 shares of the company's stock valued at $207,000 after buying an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. 52.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Argus upgraded Campbell Soup from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $59.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $50.00 to $47.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $49.00 to $46.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Campbell Soup from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $55.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $50.92.

Campbell Soup Price Performance

Campbell Soup stock traded up $0.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $42.73. 2,732,534 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,543,007. The firm has a market cap of $12.72 billion, a PE ratio of 23.43, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.97. Campbell Soup has a 12 month low of $40.26 and a 12 month high of $52.81.

Campbell Soup Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This is a boost from Campbell Soup's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.65%. Campbell Soup's dividend payout ratio is currently 80.87%.

About Campbell Soup

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.