Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Cuts Stake in The Campbell's Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lowered its stake in shares of The Campbell's Company (NASDAQ:CPB - Free Report) by 63.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,285 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,834 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Campbell's were worth $263,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Sherman Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Campbell's in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in Campbell's by 45.5% in 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 during the period. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Campbell's during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Quent Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Campbell's 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 acquired a new position in shares of Campbell's in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 52.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on CPB shares. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Campbell's from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Campbell's to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Campbell's in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "sell" rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson reduced their target price on Campbell's from $46.00 to $39.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Campbell's from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $48.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $44.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 20.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Campbell's Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ CPB traded down $0.24 during trading on Monday, reaching $35.62. The company had a trading volume of 340,703 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,756,245. The Campbell's Company has a 12 month low of $35.35 and a 12 month high of $52.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The stock has a market cap of $10.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.47, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.14. The company's fifty day moving average price is $38.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $40.88.

Campbell's (NASDAQ:CPB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.74 billion. Campbell's had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 23.79%. Campbell's's revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that The Campbell's Company will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Campbell's Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd were issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.38%. Campbell's's dividend payout ratio is presently 90.17%.

About Campbell's

The Campbell's Company, formerly known as 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.