Howe & Rusling Inc. Trims Position in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Howe & Rusling Inc. trimmed its position in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,386 shares of the company’s stock after selling 400 shares during the quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc.’s holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $477,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Campbell Soup Price Performance

CPB stock opened at $39.58 on Friday. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $39.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.63, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.15. The Campbell Soup Company has a 12-month low of $36.92 and a 12-month high of $52.81.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.74 billion. The business’s revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Campbell Soup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Campbell Soup’s payout ratio is currently 90.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on CPB. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Campbell Soup to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of Campbell Soup from $46.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Campbell Soup from $45.00 to $41.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on Campbell Soup in a research note on Monday. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $40.00 price target for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $44.86.

Insider Transactions at Campbell Soup

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

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.