Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Raises Stock Position in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its position in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) by 43.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 30,803 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 9,315 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $1,290,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Campbell Soup by 1,593.8% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,904,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $91,623,000 after buying an additional 1,792,005 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 43.8% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,228 shares of the company’s stock worth $451,000 after acquiring an additional 2,809 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 34.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 165,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,096,000 after purchasing an additional 42,216 shares during the period. Centiva Capital LP acquired a new stake in Campbell Soup in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,806,000. Finally, Smith Group Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Campbell Soup in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $293,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CPB has been the subject of several research analyst reports. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $51.00 price target on shares of Campbell Soup in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays dropped their target price on Campbell Soup from $49.00 to $46.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $51.00 price target on shares of Campbell Soup in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $44.00 to $41.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Campbell Soup has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.17.

Insider Transactions at Campbell Soup

In related news, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,000 shares of Campbell Soup stock in a transaction on Friday, January 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.90, for a total transaction of $83,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,551 shares in the company, valued at $693,486.90. This trade represents a 10.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 20.19% of the company’s stock.

Campbell Soup Price Performance

Shares of CPB opened at $37.95 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.74, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.19. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $40.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.36. The Campbell Soup Company has a twelve month low of $36.92 and a twelve month 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.

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

Campbell Soup Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.11%. This is a boost from Campbell Soup’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 85.25%.

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.