Morgan Stanley Begins Coverage on Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB)

Analysts at Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm set an “equal weight” rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 5.04% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on CPB. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Campbell Soup from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. BNP Paribas raised Campbell Soup to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Campbell Soup from $51.00 to $44.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $44.86.

Campbell Soup Stock Performance

Shares of CPB stock opened at $38.08 on Monday. Campbell Soup has a 12-month low of $36.92 and a 12-month high of $52.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.15. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.50.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $2.74 billion. Campbell Soup’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Campbell Soup will post 3.15 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,551 shares in the company, valued at $693,486.90. This represents a 10.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 20.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Campbell Soup

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sherman Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Campbell Soup during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Campbell Soup during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Quent Capital LLC raised its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Campbell Soup during the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.35% of the company’s stock.

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.