The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) Shares Purchased by Arizona State Retirement System

Arizona State Retirement System raised its stake in shares of The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 56,171 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 573 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $2,352,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sherman Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Campbell Soup during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Campbell Soup in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Campbell Soup by 45.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 927 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Campbell Soup in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Campbell Soup by 77.7% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 481 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.35% of the company’s stock.

Campbell Soup Stock Performance

CPB stock opened at $42.04 on Tuesday. 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 $12.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.15. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.22. The Campbell Soup Company has a 52 week low of $36.92 and a 52 week high of $52.81.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.74 billion. Campbell Soup had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 23.79%. Campbell Soup’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Campbell Soup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Campbell Soup to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Campbell Soup has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.36.

Insider Buying and Selling at Campbell Soup

In other Campbell Soup news, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,000 shares of Campbell Soup stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.90, for a total value of $83,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,551 shares in the company, valued at $693,486.90. The trade was a 10.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 20.19% of the company’s stock.

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.