The Campbell's Company (NASDAQ:CPB) Receives Average Recommendation of "Reduce" from Analysts

The Campbell's Company (NASDAQ:CPB - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Reduce" from the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $44.27.

Several brokerages have issued reports on CPB. Bank of America cut their price objective on Campbell's from $45.00 to $41.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Campbell's from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Campbell's from $51.00 to $44.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Campbell's from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Campbell's from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $48.00 to $37.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 6th.

Insider Activity at Campbell's

In other Campbell's news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $1,504,727.70. This represents a 6.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 20.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Campbell's

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Passumpsic Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Campbell's during the third quarter worth $221,000. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in Campbell's during the 3rd quarter worth about $183,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Campbell's in the third quarter valued at approximately $240,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Campbell's in the third quarter valued at $216,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in Campbell's by 304.4% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 26,927 shares of the company's stock worth $1,317,000 after buying an additional 20,268 shares during the period. 52.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Campbell's Stock Performance

Campbell's stock traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $35.96. 944,885 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,755,946. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $38.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.22. Campbell's has a 12-month low of $35.35 and a 12-month high of $52.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market cap of $10.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19.

Campbell's (NASDAQ:CPB - Get Free Report) last issued 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.74 billion. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Campbell's will post 3.15 EPS for the current year.

Campbell's Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.34%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 3rd. Campbell's's dividend payout ratio is currently 90.17%.

Campbell's Company Profile

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.