Campbell's (NASDAQ:CPB) Now Covered by UBS Group

UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Campbell's (NASDAQ:CPB - Free Report) in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat reports. The firm issued a sell rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock.

CPB has been the subject of a number of other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Campbell's from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $48.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Campbell's from $45.00 to $41.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. DA Davidson cut their price target 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. BNP Paribas raised shares of Campbell's to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Campbell's in a research note on Monday, March 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $40.00 target price for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $44.27.

Campbell's Trading Down 1.2 %

CPB traded down $0.42 on Wednesday, hitting $35.87. The company had a trading volume of 1,435,667 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,756,662. Campbell's has a 12-month low of $35.71 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 business's fifty day simple moving average is $38.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.30. The company has a market cap of $10.70 billion, a PE ratio of 19.60, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19.

Campbell's (NASDAQ:CPB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. Campbell's had a return on equity of 23.79% and a net margin of 5.57%. The business had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.74 billion. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Campbell's will post 3.15 EPS for the current year.

Campbell's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.35%. Campbell's's payout ratio is 90.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Campbell's

In other news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of Campbell'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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 37,590 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,727.70. This trade represents a 6.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 20.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Campbell's

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CPB. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,792,005 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its position in shares of Campbell's by 161.8% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 186,277 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,801,000 after purchasing an additional 115,122 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV acquired a new stake in shares of Campbell's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,062,000. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Campbell's by 133.3% during the fourth quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. now owns 147,000 shares of the company's stock worth $6,156,000 after buying an additional 84,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Campbell's by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,787,481 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,860,000 after buying an additional 21,849 shares in the last quarter. 52.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.