StockNews.com Downgrades Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) to Sell

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen upped their target price on Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Barclays lifted their target price on Campbell Soup from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. DA Davidson raised their price target on Campbell Soup from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Campbell Soup from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.69.

Campbell Soup Price Performance

NASDAQ:CPB opened at $51.21 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.18. Campbell Soup has a 52-week low of $37.94 and a 52-week high of $52.81. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $49.19 and a 200 day moving average of $46.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.61.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 29th. The company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.01. Campbell Soup had a return on equity of 24.08% and a net margin of 5.88%. The firm had revenue of $2.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.50 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Campbell Soup will post 3.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Campbell Soup

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CPB. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Campbell Soup in the 4th quarter valued at $125,689,000. LSV Asset Management raised its position in shares of Campbell Soup by 5,022.5% during the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,438,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,187,000 after purchasing an additional 2,390,700 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in Campbell Soup by 16.6% in the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 8,548,557 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,983,000 after acquiring an additional 1,219,301 shares during the last quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. raised its holdings in Campbell Soup by 4,419.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 732,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,103,000 after acquiring an additional 716,320 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AMF Tjanstepension AB acquired a new stake in shares of Campbell Soup during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,128,000. Institutional investors own 52.35% of the company’s stock.

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.