West Family Investments Inc. Grows Holdings in Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB)

West Family Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB) by 13.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,914 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 796 shares during the quarter. West Family Investments Inc.’s holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $299,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of Campbell Soup by 97.2% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,329,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $316,844,000 after buying an additional 3,613,495 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in Campbell Soup by 62.3% during the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,453,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,714,000 after purchasing an additional 557,948 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 19.3% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,157,930 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,648,000 after purchasing an additional 349,485 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Campbell Soup by 6.8% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,035,674 shares of the company’s stock worth $206,865,000 after purchasing an additional 318,983 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Campbell Soup by 78.6% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 545,542 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,411,000 after purchasing an additional 240,123 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.35% of the company’s stock.

Campbell Soup Stock Up 0.1 %

CPB stock traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $45.58. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 851,868 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,695,374. Campbell Soup has a 52-week low of $37.94 and a 52-week high of $55.04. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $42.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.79, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.23.

Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB) last released 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. Campbell Soup had a net margin of 8.26% and a return on equity of 23.18%. The business had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.80 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Campbell Soup will post 3.05 EPS for the current year.

Campbell Soup Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 4th were given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.25%. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.81%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on CPB shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. TheStreet upgraded Campbell Soup from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. 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. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Campbell Soup in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. They set a “sell” rating and a $41.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Campbell Soup in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $49.00 target price for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $46.38.

Campbell Soup 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.