8,813 Shares in The Campbell’s Company (NASDAQ:CPB) Acquired by Alethea Capital Management LLC

Alethea Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in The Campbell’s Company (NASDAQ:CPB) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 8,813 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $369,000. Campbell’s accounts for about 0.3% of Alethea Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CPB. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Campbell’s by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 9,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $404,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Campbell’s by 45.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 927 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. SPC Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Campbell’s by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. SPC Financial Inc. now owns 13,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $569,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Campbell’s by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 20,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $845,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP grew its stake in Campbell’s by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP now owns 11,640 shares of the company’s stock worth $487,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the period. 52.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Charles A. Brawley III sold 2,498 shares of the business’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 transaction of $99,994.94. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 37,590 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,504,727.70. The trade was a 6.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 20.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Campbell’s Price Performance

NASDAQ CPB opened at $35.86 on Friday. The Campbell’s Company has a one year low of $35.35 and a one year high of $52.81. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $38.47 and a 200 day moving average of $40.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $10.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.60, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.14.

Campbell’s (NASDAQ:CPB) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.74 billion. Campbell’s had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 23.79%. Campbell’s’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Campbell’s Company will post 3.15 EPS for the current year.

Campbell’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.35%. Campbell’s’s payout ratio is 90.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on CPB shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on 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. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Campbell’s from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Campbell’s to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Campbell’s in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a “sell” rating and a $36.00 target price for the company. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on Campbell’s from $45.00 to $41.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Campbell’s has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $44.27.

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.