Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Grows Stock Position in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in shares of The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) by 8.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 360,758 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 28,917 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $15,109,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Campbell Soup by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,625,605 shares of the company’s stock valued at $989,440,000 after buying an additional 447,203 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,048,679 shares of the company’s stock worth $491,581,000 after acquiring an additional 298,203 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 9,247,213 shares of the company’s stock valued at $387,273,000 after acquiring an additional 531,281 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,265,615 shares of the company’s stock worth $256,827,000 after acquiring an additional 322,951 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Campbell Soup by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,237,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $177,487,000 after purchasing an additional 199,470 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.35% of the company’s stock.

Campbell Soup Trading Up 0.4 %

NASDAQ:CPB opened at $39.72 on Friday. 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $39.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.09. The Campbell Soup Company has a 12-month low of $36.92 and a 12-month high of $52.81. The firm has a market cap of $11.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.70, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.15.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Campbell Soup had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 23.79%. The company had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.74 billion. The company’s revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 EPS for the current year.

Campbell Soup Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Shareholders 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 yield of 3.93%. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup dropped 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. Consumer Edge reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Campbell Soup from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley started 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. Finally, DA Davidson cut their target price on Campbell Soup from $46.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Four 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. According to MarketBeat, Campbell Soup has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $44.86.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 3rd. The stock was 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 directly owns 16,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $693,486.90. This trade represents a 10.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 20.19% of the company’s stock.

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.