How Does Campbell’s Stock Stack Up Against Its Peers?
Campbell’s (CPB) stock has significantly underperformed peers over the past year, registering a -32% return against a broader consumer staples sector that has shown signs of a defensive rally in early 2026. While exhibiting positive LTM revenue growth of 2.71% and a moderate PE ratio of 13.30 compared to some rivals, its operating and free cash flow margins of 12.74% and 6.76%, respectively, trail most larger competitors. This suggests a challenging path to robust shareholder returns against more efficient, larger-scale companies in an environment where investors are increasingly prioritizing stability and predictable cash flows. Ongoing concerns for CPB include persistent sales declines, margin compression from tariffs and input costs, and a debt-laden balance sheet.
- CPB’s 12.7% operating margin, while strong, trails KHC’s 18.6%, suggesting KHC’s greater efficiency/cost control in a tight-margin industry.
- CPB’s 2.7% revenue growth, low yet outpacing KHC, GIS, PEP, CAG, signals ongoing portfolio shifts, including premium acquisitions, unlike MDLZ’s broader expansion.
- CPB’s 31.9% stock drop and 13.3 P/E, underperforming peers, suggest investor skepticism amidst broader consumer staples challenges and a shift away from defensive stocks.
Here’s how Campbell’s stacks up across size, valuation, and profitability versus key peers.
| CPB | KHC | GIS | MDLZ | PEP | CAG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap ($ Bil) | 7.7 | 29.1 | 23.8 | 75.2 | 217.8 | 9.1 |
| Revenue ($ Bil) | 10.2 | 24.9 | 18.8 | 38.5 | 93.9 | 11.2 |
| PE Ratio | 13.3 | -5.0 | 9.4 | 30.7 | 26.4 | -93.0 |
| LTM Revenue Growth | 2.7% | -3.5% | -5.7% | 5.8% | 2.3% | -5.8% |
| LTM Operating Margin | 12.7% | 18.6% | 15.5% | 9.4% | 14.4% | 11.7% |
| LTM FCF Margin | 6.8% | 14.7% | 9.5% | 8.4% | 8.2% | 7.8% |
| 12M Market Return | -31.9% | -15.5% | -25.3% | -9.8% | 8.2% | -21.3% |
For more details on Campbell’s, read Buy or Sell CPB Stock. Below we compare CPB’s growth, margin, and valuation with peers across years
Revenue Growth Comparison
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| LTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPB | 2.7% | 6.4% | 3.0% | 9.3% |
| KHC | -3.5% | -3.5% | -3.0% | 0.6% |
| GIS | -5.7% | -1.9% | -1.2% | 5.8% |
| MDLZ | 5.8% | 5.8% | 1.2% | 14.4% |
| PEP | 2.3% | 2.3% | 0.4% | 5.9% |
| CAG | -5.8% | -3.6% | -1.8% | 6.4% |
Operating Margin Comparison
| LTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPB | 12.7% | 13.2% | 12.7% | 14.0% |
| KHC | 18.6% | 18.6% | 20.7% | 19.6% |
| GIS | 15.5% | 16.9% | 18.5% | 15.2% |
| MDLZ | 9.4% | 9.4% | 18.3% | 15.6% |
| PEP | 14.4% | 14.4% | 14.1% | 14.1% |
| CAG | 11.7% | 12.6% | 15.3% | 14.9% |
PE Ratio Comparison
| LTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPB | 13.3 | 13.8 | 22.0 | 15.1 |
| KHC | -5.0 | -4.9 | 13.5 | 15.9 |
| GIS | 9.4 | 11.2 | 14.7 | 14.9 |
| MDLZ | 30.7 | 28.4 | 17.4 | 19.9 |
| PEP | 26.4 | 23.8 | 21.8 | 25.8 |
| CAG | -93.0 | 7.2 | 38.3 | 20.1 |
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