Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 17,180,000 shares, an increase of 16.6% from the March 15th total of 14,740,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,790,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.2 days. Approximately 8.7% of the company's stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. TheStreet upgraded Campbell Soup from a "c+" rating to a "b-" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Piper Sandler reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $47.00 price target on shares of Campbell Soup in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Campbell Soup in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $49.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, DA Davidson initiated coverage on Campbell Soup in a report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $48.00 price objective on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $46.38.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Campbell Soup

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in Campbell Soup by 149.8% during the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 597 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 358 shares in the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its position in Campbell Soup by 165.7% during the fourth quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 651 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 406 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in Campbell Soup during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new position in Campbell Soup during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, ING Groep NV purchased a new position in Campbell Soup during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.35% of the company's stock.

Campbell Soup Price Performance

CPB stock traded down $0.90 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $42.31. 1,646,638 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,563,249. The company has a market cap of $12.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.24. The stock's 50 day moving average is $42.97 and its 200 day moving average is $42.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.43. Campbell Soup has a 12-month low of $37.94 and a 12-month high of $55.52.

Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 6th. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.44 billion. Campbell Soup had a return on equity of 23.18% and a net margin of 8.26%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.80 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Campbell Soup will post 3.05 EPS for the current year.

Campbell Soup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 4th will be given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.50%. Campbell Soup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.81%.

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.