Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) Upgraded to “Strong Sell” at BNP Paribas

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) was upgraded by BNP Paribas to a “strong sell” rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Barclays dropped their price target on Campbell Soup from $49.00 to $46.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Campbell Soup from $44.00 to $41.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $51.00 price objective on shares of Campbell Soup in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Campbell Soup currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.17.

Campbell Soup Stock Performance

Shares of CPB opened at $39.85 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19. Campbell Soup has a 52-week low of $36.92 and a 52-week high of $52.81. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.70.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 3rd. The company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.02. Campbell Soup had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 23.79%. Research analysts forecast that Campbell Soup will post 3.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,000 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $693,486.90. This represents a 10.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 20.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Campbell Soup

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CPB. Sherman Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Campbell Soup in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Campbell Soup in the third quarter worth about $39,000. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 45.5% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 927 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Campbell Soup during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 77.7% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 481 shares during the last quarter. 52.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.