National Bank of Canada FI Has $3.94 Million Stake in The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB)

National Bank of Canada FI decreased its holdings in shares of The Campbell Soup Company (NASDAQ:CPB - Free Report) by 8.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 94,165 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,355 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI's holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $3,944,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Campbell Soup by 1,593.8% in the 3rd 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. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Campbell Soup in the fourth quarter worth $50,908,000. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 9,247,213 shares of the company's stock valued at $387,273,000 after buying an additional 531,281 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Campbell Soup during the fourth quarter valued at $21,312,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Campbell Soup by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,625,605 shares of the company's stock valued at $989,440,000 after buying an additional 447,203 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on CPB shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Campbell Soup from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $48.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Consumer Edge reiterated an "equal weight" rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a research report on Monday, March 17th. DA Davidson lowered their price target on shares of Campbell Soup from $46.00 to $39.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on Campbell Soup in a report on Monday, March 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Four 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 company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $44.86.

Insider Activity

In other Campbell Soup news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.03, for a total transaction of $99,994.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 37,590 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,727.70. This represents a 6.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 20.19% of the company's stock.

Campbell Soup Stock Performance

CPB traded up $0.36 during trading on Friday, hitting $38.14. The stock had a trading volume of 4,110,969 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,757,594. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The Campbell Soup Company has a 12 month low of $36.02 and a 12 month high of $52.81. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $42.08. The firm has a market cap of $11.37 billion, a PE ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The company reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Campbell Soup had a return on equity of 23.79% and a net margin of 5.57%. The company had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.74 billion. Campbell Soup's revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that The Campbell Soup Company will post 3.15 EPS for the current year.

Campbell Soup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Campbell Soup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.17%.

Campbell Soup Company Profile

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.