Prudential Financial Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Prudential Financial Inc. reduced its stake in shares of The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB - Free Report) by 9.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 110,051 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,223 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc.'s holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $4,706,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Campbell Soup by 1,593.8% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,904,440 shares of the company's stock worth $91,623,000 after purchasing an additional 1,792,005 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 6.1% in 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 last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Campbell Soup in the fourth quarter worth $21,312,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Campbell Soup by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,625,605 shares of the company's stock valued at $989,440,000 after buying an additional 447,203 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its position in Campbell Soup by 23.9% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,958,238 shares of the company's stock valued at $76,823,000 after buying an additional 377,307 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.35% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Campbell Soup

In other Campbell Soup news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of Campbell Soup 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 owns 37,590 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,504,727.70. This trade represents a 6.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 20.19% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on CPB shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. DA Davidson reduced their price target on Campbell Soup from $46.00 to $39.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Campbell Soup from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. BNP Paribas raised Campbell Soup to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Campbell Soup from $49.00 to $46.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $44.86.

Campbell Soup Stock Down 2.6 %

NASDAQ CPB traded down $1.03 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $38.79. 5,119,745 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,728,129. The firm has a market cap of $11.57 billion, a PE ratio of 21.20, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19. 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 Campbell Soup Company has a 52-week low of $36.92 and a 52-week high of $52.81. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $39.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $42.71.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm 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%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Campbell Soup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.02%. Campbell Soup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.17%.

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.