Aviva PLC Increases Stake in Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB)

Aviva PLC lifted its stake in shares of Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB – Get Rating) by 35.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 304,846 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 79,710 shares during the period. Aviva PLC’s holdings in Campbell Soup were worth $20,337,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CPB. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Campbell Soup by 29.8% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 29,150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,299,000 after buying an additional 6,692 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Campbell Soup by 60.0% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 20,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $932,000 after buying an additional 7,819 shares during the period. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC raised its holdings in Campbell Soup by 31.3% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 11,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $491,000 after buying an additional 2,628 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Campbell Soup by 22.7% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 54,864 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,445,000 after buying an additional 10,144 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in Campbell Soup by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 319,394 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,235,000 after buying an additional 20,335 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.39% of the company’s stock.

Campbell Soup Stock Performance

Shares of CPB opened at $51.46 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $54.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $53.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company has a market capitalization of $15.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 0.34. Campbell Soup has a 52-week low of $44.37 and a 52-week high of $57.78.

Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 8th. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $2.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.43 billion. Campbell Soup had a return on equity of 26.97% and a net margin of 8.86%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.69 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Campbell Soup will post 3.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Campbell Soup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, July 6th will be issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 5th. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $50.00 to $51.00 in a report on Thursday, March 9th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Campbell Soup in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $55.00 target price for the company. Credit Suisse Group lifted their target price on Campbell Soup from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of Campbell Soup in a research report on Thursday, March 9th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Campbell Soup in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $51.92.

About Campbell Soup

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Campbell Soup Co engages in the business of manufacturing and marketing food and beverage products. It operates under the Meals and Beverages, and Snacks segments. The Meals and Beverages segment includes soup, meals, and beverage products in retail and foodservice. The Snacks segment offers cookies, crackers, bakery, and frozen products.