Brandywine Trust Co. Acquires 84,778 Shares of The Campbell’s Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Brandywine Trust Co. raised its stake in The Campbell’s Company (NASDAQ:CPB) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 4,867,984 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 84,778 shares during the quarter. Campbell’s accounts for approximately 32.2% of Brandywine Trust Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Brandywine Trust Co.’s holdings in Campbell’s were worth $203,871,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in Campbell’s by 18.0% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 17,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $737,000 after purchasing an additional 2,690 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Campbell’s by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 1,386,495 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,066,000 after purchasing an additional 61,173 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Campbell’s by 20.1% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 399,899 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,748,000 after purchasing an additional 67,044 shares during the last quarter. Alethea Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Campbell’s in the fourth quarter valued at $369,000. Finally, DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP raised its position in Campbell’s by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP now owns 11,640 shares of the company’s stock worth $487,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. 52.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Campbell’s Stock Performance

Shares of CPB stock opened at $35.58 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.61 billion, a PE ratio of 19.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.14. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $38.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.78. The Campbell’s Company has a 12 month low of $35.35 and a 12 month high of $52.81. 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’s (NASDAQ:CPB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.74 billion. Campbell’s had a return on equity of 23.79% and a net margin of 5.57%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that The Campbell’s Company will post 3.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Campbell’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 3rd. Campbell’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on CPB shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Campbell’s from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Campbell’s from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Campbell’s in a research report on Monday, March 24th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. BNP Paribas raised Campbell’s to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Consumer Edge reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating on shares of Campbell’s in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $44.27.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Campbell’s news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of Campbell’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,504,727.70. This trade represents a 6.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 20.19% 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.