Raymond James Financial Inc. Purchases Shares of 508,893 The Campbell's Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Campbell's Company (NASDAQ:CPB - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 508,893 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,312,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.17% of Campbell's as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of CPB. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Campbell's by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 9,646 shares of the company's stock valued at $404,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Campbell's by 45.5% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 927 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. SPC Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Campbell's by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. SPC Financial Inc. now owns 13,575 shares of the company's stock valued at $569,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Campbell's by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 20,176 shares of the company's stock worth $845,000 after buying an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Campbell's by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,718 shares of the company's stock valued at $323,000 after buying an additional 319 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 52.35% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 37,590 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,727.70. This represents a 6.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 20.19% of the company's stock.

Campbell's Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of Campbell's stock traded down $0.46 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $37.04. 521,922 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,759,608. The company has a market cap of $11.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19. The Campbell's Company has a 52 week low of $36.02 and a 52 week high of $52.81. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $38.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Campbell's (NASDAQ:CPB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 return on equity of 23.79% and a net margin of 5.57%. The company had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.74 billion. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that The Campbell's Company will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Campbell's Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.21%. Campbell's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on CPB shares. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Campbell's from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Consumer Edge restated an "equal weight" rating on shares of Campbell's in a report on Monday, March 17th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Campbell's from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Campbell's from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on Campbell's from $45.00 to $41.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Five equities research 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 stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $44.27.

About Campbell's

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.