Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB) Given Average Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Shares of Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB) have received an average rating of “Reduce” from the fourteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $46.38.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Campbell Soup in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $49.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Campbell Soup in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. They set a “sell” rating and a $41.00 price target for the company. TheStreet raised shares of Campbell Soup from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $47.00 price objective on shares of Campbell Soup in a research note on Thursday, March 14th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Campbell Soup

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Campbell Soup by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 117,289 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,361,000 after buying an additional 7,761 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Campbell Soup by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 213,155 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,756,000 after purchasing an additional 14,271 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in Campbell Soup by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,089,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,913,000 after purchasing an additional 67,375 shares in the last quarter. Savoir Faire Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in Campbell Soup in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,259,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in Campbell Soup by 62.3% in the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,453,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,714,000 after purchasing an additional 557,948 shares in the last quarter. 52.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Campbell Soup Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE CPB opened at $44.08 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The company has a market cap of $13.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.22, a PEG ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.24. Campbell Soup has a 1 year low of $37.94 and a 1 year high of $56.04. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $42.19.

Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 6th. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.44 billion. Campbell Soup had a net margin of 8.26% and a return on equity of 23.18%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.80 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Campbell Soup will post 3.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Campbell Soup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 3rd. Campbell Soup’s payout ratio is currently 57.81%.

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.