Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Increases Holdings in Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB)

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) by 14.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,285 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 686 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $221,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CPB. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Campbell Soup by 1,593.8% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,904,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $91,623,000 after acquiring an additional 1,792,005 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Campbell Soup by 43.8% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $451,000 after purchasing an additional 2,809 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 34.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 165,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,096,000 after purchasing an additional 42,216 shares during the period. Centiva Capital LP purchased a new position in Campbell Soup during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,806,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Campbell Soup by 6.8% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 278,607 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,629,000 after buying an additional 17,663 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.35% of the company’s stock.

Campbell Soup Price Performance

Campbell Soup stock opened at $38.98 on Friday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $11.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.30, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.19. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $41.99 and a 200-day moving average of $46.03. Campbell Soup has a 52-week low of $37.61 and a 52-week high of $52.81.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 3rd. The company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.02. Campbell Soup had a return on equity of 23.79% and a net margin of 5.57%. As a group, analysts predict that Campbell Soup will post 3.15 EPS for the current year.

Campbell Soup Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.00%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This is a boost from Campbell Soup’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio is currently 85.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Campbell Soup

In other Campbell Soup news, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.90, for a total value of $83,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $693,486.90. This represents a 10.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 20.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on CPB. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Campbell Soup from $49.00 to $46.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Campbell Soup in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Campbell Soup from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $55.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $51.00 target price on shares of Campbell Soup in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Campbell Soup has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.17.

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.