Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 447,203 Shares of The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,625,605 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 447,203 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.08% of Campbell Soup worth $989,440,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 1,593.8% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,904,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $91,623,000 after buying an additional 1,792,005 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its holdings in Campbell Soup by 161.8% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 186,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,801,000 after acquiring an additional 115,122 shares during the period. ING Groep NV purchased a new position in Campbell Soup in the fourth quarter worth about $1,062,000. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Campbell Soup by 133.3% during the 4th quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. now owns 147,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,156,000 after purchasing an additional 84,000 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 34.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 165,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,096,000 after purchasing an additional 42,216 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.35% of the company’s stock.

Campbell Soup Price Performance

NASDAQ:CPB opened at $39.72 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $39.08 and its 200 day moving average is $43.09. The Campbell Soup Company has a 12 month low of $36.92 and a 12 month high of $52.81. The company has a market capitalization of $11.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Campbell Soup 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 analysts’ expectations of $2.74 billion. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.93%. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.17%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.90, for a total transaction of $83,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $693,486.90. The trade was a 10.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 20.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $51.00 to $44.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Campbell Soup from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $48.00 to $37.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Campbell Soup from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Campbell Soup in a research report on Monday, March 24th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $40.00 price target for the company. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $46.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Four equities research 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $44.86.

Campbell Soup 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.