American Century Companies Inc. Has $683,000 Stake in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

American Century Companies Inc. lowered its holdings in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB - Free Report) by 41.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,317 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,655 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.'s holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $683,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Sherman Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Campbell Soup in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in Campbell Soup by 45.5% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 927 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in Campbell Soup in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Quent Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 77.7% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,100 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 481 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Campbell Soup during the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CPB has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Campbell Soup from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Campbell Soup from $51.00 to $44.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Consumer Edge reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a research report on Monday, March 17th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Campbell Soup to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Campbell Soup in a research report on Monday, March 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $44.86.

Campbell Soup Trading Up 1.5 %

NASDAQ:CPB traded up $0.54 on Thursday, reaching $37.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 599,767 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,753,697. The firm has a market cap of $11.15 billion, a PE ratio of 20.46, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19. 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 business's 50-day moving average price is $39.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.89. The Campbell Soup Company has a 1-year low of $36.02 and a 1-year high of $52.81.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.74 billion. Campbell Soup had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 23.79%. Campbell Soup's revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Campbell Soup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.17%. Campbell Soup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 90.17%.

Insider Transactions at Campbell Soup

In related news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.03, for a total value of $99,994.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 37,590 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,504,727.70. This trade represents a 6.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 20.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.