Bessemer Group Inc. Increases Stake in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 123,006 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,034 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc.’s holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $5,152,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Campbell Soup by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 9,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $404,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 45.5% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 927 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. SPC Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Campbell Soup by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. SPC Financial Inc. now owns 13,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $569,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Campbell Soup by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 20,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $845,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the period. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Campbell Soup by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $323,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares in the last quarter. 52.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Campbell Soup

In related news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.03, for a total transaction of $99,994.94. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 37,590 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,504,727.70. This represents a 6.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 20.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Campbell Soup Stock Up 1.0 %

CPB stock opened at $38.14 on Friday. The Campbell Soup Company has a 52 week low of $36.02 and a 52 week high of $52.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The company has a market cap of $11.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $38.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $42.16.

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

Campbell Soup Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.09%. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 90.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on CPB. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Campbell Soup from $45.00 to $41.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Campbell Soup in a research note on Monday, March 24th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Consumer Edge restated an “equal weight” rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Campbell Soup to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Campbell Soup has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $44.86.

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.