Campbell Soup Co (CPB): Today's Featured Food & Beverage Winner

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.

Campbell Soup ( CPB) pushed the Food & Beverage industry higher today making it today's featured food & beverage winner. The industry as a whole closed the day down 0.2%. By the end of trading, Campbell Soup rose 38 cents (1.1%) to $36.54 on light volume. Throughout the day, 1.4 million shares of Campbell Soup exchanged hands as compared to its average daily volume of 1.9 million shares. The stock ranged in a price between $36.11-$36.55 after having opened the day at $36.21 as compared to the previous trading day's close of $36.16. Other companies within the Food & Beverage industry that increased today were: Origin Agritech ( SEED), up 7.4%, Cresud ( CRESY), up 7%, Reeds ( REED), up 5.9%, and Amira Nature Foods ( ANFI), up 4.2%.
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Campbell Soup Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and marketing of branded convenience food products worldwide. Campbell Soup has a market cap of $11.4 billion and is part of the consumer goods sector. The company has a P/E ratio of 15.3, below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 3.9% year to date as of the close of trading on Tuesday. Currently there is one analyst that rates Campbell Soup a buy, three analysts rate it a sell, and 13 rate it a hold.

TheStreet Ratings rates Campbell Soup as a buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, attractive valuation levels, good cash flow from operations, notable return on equity and solid stock price performance. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income.

On the negative front, SkyPeople Fruit Juice ( SPU), down 6%, Tianli Agritech ( OINK), down 5.3%, Adecoagro ( AGRO), down 4.3%, and Limoneira ( LMNR), down 4.3%, were all laggards within the food & beverage industry with Smithfield Foods ( SFD) being today's food & beverage industry laggard.

For investors not wanting singular stock exposure, ETFs may be of interest. Investors who are bullish on the food & beverage industry could consider PowerShares Dynamic Food & Beverage ( PBJ) while those bearish on the food & beverage industry could consider PowerShares DB Agriculture Sht ETN ( ADZ).

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