These foodmakers are reliable payers

Article Excerpt

These two foodmakers have held steady their dividends in the past few years as they adapt their businesses to changing consumer tastes. As a result, their current dividends look safe. CAMPBELL SOUP CO. $43 is a buy. The company (New York symbol CPB; Conservative-Growth Payer Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 298.1 million; Market cap: $12.8 billion; Dividend yield: 3.4%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.campbellsoupcompany.com) sold most of its international and refrigerated-foods businesses in 2018. That let it focus on canned soups, pasta and V8 vegetable juices. Campbell also kept its snack food operations. Campbell last raised your quarterly dividend with the February 2021 payment. Investors now receive $0.37 a share, up 5.7% from $0.35. The annual rate of $1.48 yields a solid 3.4%. In August 2023, the company agreed to pay $2.7 billion for Sovos Brands Inc. (Nasdaq symbol SOVO), the maker of Rao’s pasta sauces. Campbell expects to complete the transaction by the end of 2024. In its fiscal 2024 first quarter, ended October 29, 2023,…