The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) Shares Sold by West Family Investments Inc.

West Family Investments Inc. cut its stake in shares of The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) by 9.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,022 shares of the company’s stock after selling 651 shares during the quarter. West Family Investments Inc.’s holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $252,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CPB. Sherman Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Campbell Soup in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Campbell Soup during the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in Campbell Soup in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC increased its position in Campbell Soup by 77.7% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 481 shares during the period. 52.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Campbell Soup

In other Campbell Soup news, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.90, for a total transaction 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 approximately $693,486.90. This trade represents a 10.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 20.19% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Campbell Soup from $51.00 to $44.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Campbell Soup from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $48.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Thursday. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $51.00 price objective on shares of Campbell Soup in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Campbell Soup from $45.00 to $41.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Campbell Soup from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.36.

Campbell Soup Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CPB opened at $41.81 on Friday. The Campbell Soup Company has a 52-week low of $36.92 and a 52-week high of $52.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.85, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $39.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.36.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.74 billion. The company’s revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Campbell Soup Dividend Announcement

The company 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Campbell Soup’s payout ratio is 85.25%.

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.