Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) & Campbell’s (NASDAQ:CPB) Critical Survey

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) and Campbell’s (NASDAQ:CPB) are both consumer staples companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, profitability, earnings and institutional ownership.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

98.6% of Vital Farms shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 52.3% of Campbell’s shares are held by institutional investors. 3.9% of Vital Farms shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 20.6% of Campbell’s shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility and Risk

Vital Farms has a beta of 1.16, meaning that its stock price is 16% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Campbell’s has a beta of 0.06, meaning that its stock price is 94% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Vital Farms and Campbell’s’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Vital Farms	-3.03%	-3.74%	-2.24%
Campbell’s	4.04%	16.44%	4.25%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Vital Farms and Campbell’s”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Vital Farms	$748.90 million	0.53	$66.28 million	($0.55)	-16.92
Campbell’s	$9.74 billion	0.68	$403.00 million	$1.31	16.90

Campbell’s has higher revenue and earnings than Vital Farms. Vital Farms is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Campbell’s, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings for Vital Farms and Campbell’s, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Vital Farms	1	7	7	0	2.40
Campbell’s	7	13	0	0	1.65

Vital Farms presently has a consensus price target of $16.58, indicating a potential upside of 78.22%. Campbell’s has a consensus price target of $19.88, indicating a potential downside of 10.21%. Given Vital Farms’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Vital Farms is more favorable than Campbell’s.

Summary

Campbell’s beats Vital Farms on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Vital Farms

Vital Farms, Inc. is a food company that produces and markets pasture-raised eggs and butter. Its products are sold under the Vital Farms brand and include shell eggs, hard-boiled eggs and butter. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, the company works with a network of family farms that raise hens on pasture. Vital Farms sources its products from farms primarily across the United States. The company distributes its products through grocery retailers and other food channels, including foodservice.

About Campbell’s

The Campbell’s Company, formerly known as Campbell Soup Company, makes and markets packaged foods and beverages. Its products include soups, sauces, pasta, shelf-stable meals, snacks and beverages, sold under brands such as Campbell’s, Prego, Pace, V8, Goldfish, Pepperidge Farm and Snyder’s of Hanover. Founded in 1869, the company became known for popularizing condensed soup. Today, it serves consumers primarily in the United States and Canada, with products also sold in other markets. Campbell’s is led by President and Chief Executive Officer Mick Beekhuizen, who assumed the role in 2025.