Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Lowers Stake in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) by 9.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,665 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,647 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $1,075,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new position in Campbell Soup in the 4th quarter valued at about $207,000. Amundi lifted its stake in Campbell Soup by 23.9% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,958,238 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,823,000 after buying an additional 377,307 shares in the last quarter. Lifeworks Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Campbell Soup by 23.4% in the 4th quarter. Lifeworks Advisors LLC now owns 172,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,212,000 after buying an additional 32,682 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Campbell Soup by 15.4% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 8,416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $352,000 after buying an additional 1,121 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Machina Capital S.A.S. purchased a new position in Campbell Soup in the 4th quarter valued at about $540,000. 52.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on CPB shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Campbell Soup from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Campbell Soup from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. DA Davidson decreased their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $46.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Campbell Soup has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.23.

Campbell Soup Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ CPB opened at $38.42 on Friday. The Campbell Soup Company has a 1 year low of $36.92 and a 1 year high of $52.81. 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 50 day simple moving average of $39.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.88. The company has a market capitalization of $11.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.15.

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

Campbell Soup Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.06%. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.17%.

Insider Activity at Campbell Soup

In related 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $693,486.90. This trade represents a 10.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 20.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.