UBS Group Initiates Coverage on Campbell's (NASDAQ:CPB)

UBS Group started coverage on shares of Campbell's (NASDAQ:CPB - Free Report) in a report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm issued a sell rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on CPB. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Campbell's from $45.00 to $41.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Campbell's 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. Consumer Edge reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating on shares of Campbell's in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Campbell's in a research report on Monday, March 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Campbell's to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Campbell's presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $44.27.

Campbell's Stock Down 1.2 %

Campbell's stock traded down $0.43 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $36.29. 2,383,113 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,760,217. Campbell's has a 1-year low of $35.85 and a 1-year high of $52.81. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $38.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $41.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The stock has a market cap of $10.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19.

Campbell's (NASDAQ:CPB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.74 billion. The firm's revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Campbell's will post 3.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Campbell's Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Campbell's's dividend payout ratio is 90.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 20.19% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Campbell's

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Campbell's by 182.0% in the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 498,216 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,889,000 after buying an additional 321,520 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its position in Campbell's by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 566,031 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,596,000 after acquiring an additional 46,866 shares in the last quarter. QSM Asset Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of Campbell's by 25.2% in the first quarter. QSM Asset Management Ltd now owns 198,539 shares of the company's stock worth $8,029,000 after acquiring an additional 40,000 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Campbell's by 13.2% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 25,865 shares of the company's stock worth $1,027,000 after purchasing an additional 3,010 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Campbell's by 12.4% during the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 98,482 shares of the company's stock worth $3,931,000 after purchasing an additional 10,896 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.35% of the company's stock.

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.