UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Increases Stock Position in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its stake in shares of The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB - Free Report) by 31.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 41,756 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,999 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd's holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $1,749,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CPB. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Campbell Soup by 1,593.8% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,904,440 shares of the company's stock valued at $91,623,000 after acquiring an additional 1,792,005 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in Campbell Soup by 161.8% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 186,277 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,801,000 after purchasing an additional 115,122 shares during the period. ING Groep NV purchased a new position in shares of Campbell Soup during the 4th quarter valued at $1,062,000. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 133.3% in the fourth quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. now owns 147,000 shares of the company's stock worth $6,156,000 after purchasing an additional 84,000 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,787,481 shares of the company's stock worth $74,860,000 after buying an additional 21,849 shares in the last quarter. 52.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Remove Ads

Campbell Soup Trading Down 2.6 %

CPB traded down $1.03 during trading on Friday, hitting $38.79. 5,119,745 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,728,979. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $39.16 and a 200 day moving average of $42.71. The Campbell Soup Company has a 12-month low of $36.92 and a 12-month high of $52.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.20, a price-to-earnings-growth 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.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 Soup had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 23.79%. The company had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.74 billion. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 EPS for the current year.

Campbell Soup Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on CPB shares. DA Davidson decreased their target price on Campbell Soup from $46.00 to $39.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Campbell Soup from $49.00 to $46.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Campbell Soup to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Campbell Soup currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $44.86.

Insider Activity at Campbell Soup

In related news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.03, for a total transaction of $99,994.94. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 37,590 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,727.70. The trade was a 6.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 20.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.