BNP Paribas Upgrades Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) to Strong Sell

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) was upgraded by equities research analysts at BNP Paribas to a “strong sell” rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Campbell Soup from $45.00 to $43.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. 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 note on Friday, December 6th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Campbell Soup from $44.00 to $41.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $51.00 price target on shares of Campbell Soup in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $51.00 price target on shares of Campbell Soup in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.17.

Campbell Soup Trading Down 0.5 %

Campbell Soup stock opened at $39.85 on Wednesday. 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 50-day moving average price of $39.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $44.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.78, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19. Campbell Soup has a 52-week low of $36.92 and a 52-week high of $52.81.

Campbell Soup (NASDAQ:CPB) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, December 3rd. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.02. Campbell Soup had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 23.79%. Sell-side analysts expect that Campbell Soup will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Anthony Sanzio sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.90, for a total transaction of $83,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,551 shares in the company, valued at $693,486.90. The trade was a 10.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 20.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Campbell Soup

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new position in Campbell Soup in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $264,000. Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Campbell Soup in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $18,172,000. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Campbell Soup in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,597,000. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in Campbell Soup in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $494,000. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd increased its stake in Campbell Soup by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd now owns 16,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $698,000 after buying an additional 1,702 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.35% of the company’s stock.

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.