Campbell's (NASDAQ:CPB) Hits New 1-Year Low - Here's What Happened

The Campbell's Company (NASDAQ:CPB - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $35.85 and last traded at $36.09, with a volume of 560510 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $36.72.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CPB. DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of Campbell's from $46.00 to $39.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group started coverage on Campbell's in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "sell" rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Campbell's from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Campbell's from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Campbell's from $51.00 to $44.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Campbell's presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $44.27.

Campbell's Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $10.87 billion, a PE ratio of 19.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $38.78 and a 200 day moving average of $41.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

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

Campbell's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd were issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 3rd. Campbell's's dividend payout ratio is presently 90.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Campbell's news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.03, for a total value of $99,994.94. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 37,590 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,504,727.70. This represents a 6.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 20.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Campbell's

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Campbell's by 1,593.8% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,904,440 shares of the company's stock worth $91,623,000 after purchasing an additional 1,792,005 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its stake in Campbell's by 272.7% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,243,300 shares of the company's stock worth $93,949,000 after acquiring an additional 1,641,400 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc boosted its holdings in Campbell's by 1,296.1% during the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 1,407,161 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,932,000 after acquiring an additional 1,306,372 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Campbell's by 38.2% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,645,548 shares of the company's stock valued at $194,556,000 after acquiring an additional 1,282,957 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Campbell's during the fourth quarter worth about $50,908,000. 52.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Campbell's Company Profile

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.