California Public Employees Retirement System Increases Stock Holdings in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its stake in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 907,798 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 10,580 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned approximately 0.30% of Campbell Soup worth $38,019,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of CPB. Sherman Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Campbell Soup in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in Campbell Soup by 45.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 927 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the period. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Campbell Soup during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Quent Capital LLC grew its position in Campbell Soup by 77.7% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 481 shares during the period. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Campbell Soup during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. 52.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Campbell Soup

In related news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.03, for a total transaction of $99,994.94. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 37,590 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,727.70. The trade was a 6.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.90, for a total transaction of $83,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $693,486.90. This trade represents a 10.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 20.19% of the company’s stock.

Campbell Soup Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of Campbell Soup stock opened at $39.39 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.91. The Campbell Soup Company has a 52-week low of $36.92 and a 52-week high of $52.81. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $39.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $42.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.74 billion. Campbell Soup had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 23.79%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 EPS for the current year.

Campbell Soup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 90.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CPB. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Campbell Soup in a research report on Monday, March 24th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $40.00 target price for the company. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. BNP Paribas raised Campbell Soup to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Consumer Edge reissued an “equal weight” rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $44.86.

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.