Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) Now Covered by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Research analysts at Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm set an “equal weight” rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target indicates a potential upside of 5.04% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on CPB. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. BNP Paribas raised Campbell Soup to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Campbell Soup from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $49.00 to $46.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $44.86.

Campbell Soup Trading Up 0.3 %

Campbell Soup stock opened at $38.08 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The company has a market capitalization of $11.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.81, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.15. Campbell Soup has a one year low of $36.92 and a one year high of $52.81. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $39.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.42.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.74 billion. Campbell Soup had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 23.79%. Campbell Soup’s revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Campbell Soup will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,000 shares of Campbell Soup stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 3rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $693,486.90. The trade was a 10.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 20.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Campbell Soup by 1,593.8% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,904,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $91,623,000 after acquiring an additional 1,792,005 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 43.8% in the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $451,000 after purchasing an additional 2,809 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 161.8% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 186,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,801,000 after purchasing an additional 115,122 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV acquired a new stake in shares of Campbell Soup in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,062,000. Finally, Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 133.3% in the fourth quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. now owns 147,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,156,000 after purchasing an additional 84,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 52.35% of the company’s stock.

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.