Mariner LLC Lowers Stock Position in The Campbell's Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

Mariner LLC lowered its holdings in The Campbell's Company (NASDAQ:CPB - Free Report) by 35.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 43,488 shares of the company's stock after selling 23,558 shares during the period. Mariner LLC's holdings in Campbell's were worth $1,821,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in Campbell's by 57.6% in the fourth quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 7,193 shares of the company's stock worth $301,000 after acquiring an additional 2,630 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Campbell's by 56.7% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 11,472 shares of the company's stock worth $480,000 after acquiring an additional 4,152 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in Campbell's by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 84,422 shares of the company's stock worth $3,536,000 after acquiring an additional 530 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management lifted its stake in Campbell's by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 3,983,700 shares of the company's stock worth $166,837,000 after acquiring an additional 32,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in Campbell's by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 123,006 shares of the company's stock worth $5,152,000 after acquiring an additional 2,034 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CPB has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Campbell's from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Campbell's in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a "sell" rating and a $36.00 price target for the company. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Campbell's from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Campbell's from $51.00 to $44.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Consumer Edge reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating on shares of Campbell's in a report on Monday, March 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Campbell's has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $44.27.

Campbell's Price Performance

Shares of CPB stock traded up $0.42 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $36.46. 2,677,016 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,766,197. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $38.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $41.15. The Campbell's Company has a 1-year low of $35.35 and a 1-year high of $52.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market cap of $10.87 billion, a PE ratio of 19.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19.

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

Campbell's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd were paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.28%. Campbell's's payout ratio is currently 90.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Campbell's news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of Campbell'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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 37,590 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,504,727.70. The trade was a 6.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 20.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Campbell's 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.