Securian Asset Management Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Securian Asset Management Inc. cut its stake in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,478 shares of the company’s stock after selling 306 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $439,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Campbell Soup by 1,593.8% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,904,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $91,623,000 after acquiring an additional 1,792,005 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its position in Campbell Soup by 43.8% during the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,228 shares of the company’s stock worth $451,000 after purchasing an additional 2,809 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in Campbell Soup by 161.8% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 186,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,801,000 after purchasing an additional 115,122 shares during the period. ING Groep NV acquired a new position in Campbell Soup in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,062,000. Finally, Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Campbell Soup by 133.3% in the 4th quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. now owns 147,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,156,000 after buying an additional 84,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.35% of the company’s stock.

Campbell Soup Stock Up 1.5 %

Campbell Soup stock opened at $39.01 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.15. 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 Campbell Soup Company has a twelve month low of $36.92 and a twelve month high of $52.81. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $39.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.84.

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

Campbell Soup Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid 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 4.00%. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio is currently 90.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Campbell Soup news, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 20.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on CPB. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. BNP Paribas raised Campbell Soup to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Campbell Soup from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $45.00 to $41.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their price target on shares of Campbell Soup from $46.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.23.

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.