Archives for January 5, 2020

Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB) – Equities researchers at Piper Jaffray Companies raised their Q4 2020 earnings estimates for shares of Campbell Soup in a research note issued to investors on Monday, December 16th, Zacks Investment Research reports. Piper Jaffray Companies analyst M. Lavery now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $0.56 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.55.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Co increased their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. UBS Group set a $41.00 target price on shares of Campbell Soup in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Deutsche Bank started coverage on shares of Campbell Soup in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Campbell Soup in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group increased their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Campbell Soup has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $45.58.

CPB stock traded down $0.06 during trading on Thursday, hitting $48.43. 1,658,300 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,675,331. Campbell Soup has a 52 week low of $32.17 and a 52 week high of $49.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.37, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.60. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $45.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.06, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.43.

Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.07. Campbell Soup had a net margin of 2.07% and a return on equity of 64.48%. The firm had revenue of $2.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.79 earnings per share. Campbell Soup’s revenue for the quarter was down .9% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CPB. Los Angeles Capital Management & Equity Research Inc. purchased a new position in Campbell Soup during the 2nd quarter valued at about $354,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in Campbell Soup by 8.4% during the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 24,334 shares of the company’s stock valued at $975,000 after purchasing an additional 1,888 shares during the period. Dupont Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in Campbell Soup during the 2nd quarter valued at about $202,000. KBC Group NV increased its position in Campbell Soup by 95.3% during the 2nd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 536,341 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,491,000 after purchasing an additional 261,650 shares during the period. Finally, Aperio Group LLC increased its position in Campbell Soup by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Aperio Group LLC now owns 118,537 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,750,000 after purchasing an additional 8,131 shares during the period. 50.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 8th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 7th. Campbell Soup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.87%.

About Campbell Soup

Campbell Soup Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets branded food and beverage products. It operates through three segments: Americas Simple Meals and Beverages, Global Biscuits and Snacks, and Campbell Fresh. The Americas Simple Meals and Beverages segment engages in the retail and food service of Campbell’s condensed and ready-to-serve soups; Swanson broth and stocks; Prego pasta sauces; Pace Mexican sauces; Campbell’s gravies, pastas, beans, and dinner sauces; Swanson canned poultry products; Plum food and snack products; V8 juices and beverages; Campbell’s tomato juices; and Pacific broth, soups, non-dairy beverages, and other simple meals.

bluebird bio Inc (NASDAQ:BLUE) – Equities research analysts at Svb Leerink dropped their Q1 2020 earnings per share estimates for bluebird bio in a research report issued on Wednesday, December 11th, according to Zacks Investment Research. Svb Leerink analyst M. Foroohar now anticipates that the biotechnology company will post earnings of ($3.44) per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of ($3.43). Svb Leerink currently has a “Outperform” rating and a $119.00 price target on the stock. Svb Leerink also issued estimates for bluebird bio’s Q3 2020 earnings at ($3.50) EPS, FY2020 earnings at ($14.11) EPS, FY2021 earnings at ($4.77) EPS and FY2022 earnings at ($1.02) EPS.

bluebird bio (NASDAQ:BLUE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The biotechnology company reported ($3.73) EPS for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of ($3.54) by ($0.19). bluebird bio had a negative return on equity of 42.29% and a negative net margin of 1,326.56%. The business had revenue of $8.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.47 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($2.73) EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on BLUE. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of bluebird bio in a report on Friday, December 6th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $96.00 target price on shares of bluebird bio and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Evercore ISI cut shares of bluebird bio from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Morgan Stanley set a $100.00 price target on shares of bluebird bio and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Canaccord Genuity cut their price target on shares of bluebird bio from $171.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $136.56.

BLUE traded up $0.58 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $86.95. 715,990 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,458,801. bluebird bio has a 1-year low of $71.42 and a 1-year high of $163.43. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $83.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $102.28. The stock has a market cap of $4.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.14 and a beta of 2.37. The company has a quick ratio of 6.22, a current ratio of 6.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in bluebird bio by 3.3% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 241,584 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $30,730,000 after acquiring an additional 7,606 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in bluebird bio by 0.4% during the second quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 266,141 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $33,853,000 after acquiring an additional 1,078 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. increased its position in bluebird bio by 18.2% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 158,173 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $14,523,000 after acquiring an additional 24,387 shares during the period. Aperio Group LLC increased its position in bluebird bio by 4.4% during the second quarter. Aperio Group LLC now owns 12,447 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,583,000 after acquiring an additional 530 shares during the period. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its position in bluebird bio by 13.5% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,101 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $468,000 after acquiring an additional 607 shares during the period.

In other news, insider Kory James Wentworth sold 397 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.59, for a total transaction of $36,758.23. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,449 shares in the company, valued at approximately $597,112.91. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Philip D. Gregory sold 1,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.31, for a total transaction of $169,758.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 30,892 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,913,424.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,697 shares of company stock valued at $249,271. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

About bluebird bio

bluebird bio, Inc, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, focuses on developing transformative gene therapies for severe genetic diseases and cancer. Its product candidates in severe genetic diseases include LentiGlobin, which is in various clinical studies for the treatment of transfusion-dependent ß-thalassemia and severe sickle cell disease; and Lenti-D that is in Phase II/III clinical trials for the treatment of cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, a rare hereditary neurological disorder.

LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) – Investment analysts at SunTrust Banks cut their Q1 2020 earnings per share estimates for LKQ in a research note issued on Tuesday, December 10th, Zacks Investment Research reports. SunTrust Banks analyst S. Benjamin now anticipates that the auto parts company will earn $0.60 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.62. SunTrust Banks has a “Buy” rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. SunTrust Banks also issued estimates for LKQ’s Q2 2020 earnings at $0.71 EPS, Q3 2020 earnings at $0.64 EPS and FY2020 earnings at $2.53 EPS.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The auto parts company reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.14 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 3.50% and a return on equity of 14.79%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.56 earnings per share.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on LKQ. Barrington Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $42.50 target price on shares of LKQ in a report on Monday, October 28th. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $29.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of LKQ from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wolfe Research set a $41.00 price target on shares of LKQ and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Guggenheim set a $38.00 price target on shares of LKQ and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. LKQ currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.44.

LKQ stock traded down $0.41 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $35.39. The stock had a trading volume of 1,377,137 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,698,499. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.31. LKQ has a 12-month low of $23.16 and a 12-month high of $36.63. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $35.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.44.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in LKQ by 0.9% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,048,696 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $852,816,000 after buying an additional 293,379 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in LKQ by 0.6% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 20,148,889 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $536,161,000 after buying an additional 117,889 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in LKQ by 9.3% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,772,934 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $153,618,000 after buying an additional 491,522 shares during the period. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP grew its position in LKQ by 1.0% during the second quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP now owns 5,000,000 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $133,050,000 after buying an additional 50,000 shares during the period. Finally, New Mountain Vantage Advisers L.L.C. grew its position in LKQ by 81.8% during the second quarter. New Mountain Vantage Advisers L.L.C. now owns 4,704,201 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $125,179,000 after buying an additional 2,117,077 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.51% of the company’s stock.

In other news, VP Michael S. Clark sold 3,814 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.32, for a total value of $134,710.48. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 80,510 shares in the company, valued at $2,843,613.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Blythe J. Mcgarvie sold 13,692 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.62, for a total transaction of $487,709.04. Following the sale, the director now owns 20,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $747,770.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 27,506 shares of company stock valued at $822,020 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Company Profile

LKQ Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, distributes replacement parts, components, and systems used in the repair and maintenance of vehicles. It operates in four segments: Wholesale – North America, Europe, Specialty, and Self Service. The company distributes bumper covers, automotive body panels, and lights, as well as automotive glass products, such as windshields; salvage products, including mechanical and collision parts comprising engines; transmissions; door assemblies; sheet metal products, such as trunk lids, fenders, and hoods; lights and bumper assemblies; scrap metal and other materials to metals recyclers; and brake pads, discs and sensors, clutches, steering and suspension products, filters, and oil and automotive fluids, as well as electrical products, including spark plugs and batteries.

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (NYSE:BIP) (TSE:BIP.UN) – Stock analysts at Raymond James reduced their FY2019 earnings per share estimates for Brookfield Infrastructure Partners in a report issued on Tuesday, December 24th, according to Zacks Investment Research. Raymond James analyst F. Bastien now expects that the utilities provider will earn $3.39 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $3.44. Raymond James has a “Outperform” rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James also issued estimates for Brookfield Infrastructure Partners’ Q4 2019 earnings at $0.85 EPS, Q1 2020 earnings at $0.94 EPS, Q2 2020 earnings at $0.92 EPS, Q3 2020 earnings at $0.92 EPS, Q4 2020 earnings at $0.97 EPS and FY2020 earnings at $3.75 EPS.

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (NYSE:BIP) (TSE:BIP.UN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by ($0.74). Brookfield Infrastructure Partners had a net margin of 4.27% and a return on equity of 1.82%. The company had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.08 billion. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners’s revenue for the quarter was up 42.6% on a year-over-year basis.

BIP has been the topic of several other reports. TD Securities upped their target price on shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $58.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. BMO Capital Markets set a $53.00 target price on shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $52.36.

Shares of BIP opened at $50.25 on Friday. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners has a fifty-two week low of $35.74 and a fifty-two week high of $52.83. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $51.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.57. The company has a market cap of $14.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 250.25, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 11,430 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $491,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,262 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $183,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 46,885 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,013,000 after buying an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 6,354 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $315,000 after buying an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 24,972 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,072,000 after buying an additional 466 shares in the last quarter. 50.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a $0.502 dividend. This represents a $2.01 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 28th. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners’s dividend payout ratio is presently 340.68%.

About Brookfield Infrastructure Partners

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. owns and operates utilities, transport, energy, and data infrastructure businesses. The Utilities segment operates approximately 2,000 kilometers (km) of natural gas transportation pipelines in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Minas Gerais; approximately 2,200 km of electricity transmission lines in North and South America; and approximately 6.6 million electricity and natural gas connections and 1.1 million smart meters, as well as operates metallurgical coal export terminals.