Campbell Soup wanted to appeal to health-conscious consumers. But now it’s selling off its fresh-food unit

Campbell Soup Co. is divesting its international operations and fresh-food unit, falling short of expectations for a sale of the entire company.

Despite pressure from activist investor Dan Loeb to find a buyer amid a three-year sales slump and a sliding stock price, the struggling packaged-food maker will pursue a turnaround plan to ignite soup and snack growth in its key U.S. market, according to a statement Thursday. Campbell is also boosting its cost-cutting target as it tries to slim down.

Its shares fell 2.1% on Thursday to $39.15. The stock has lost more than 18% of its value this year.

The company’s board, which has been reviewing operations since the abrupt departure of Chief Executive Denise Morrison in May, plans to use the proceeds from the sales of brands including Bolthouse Farms and Arnott’s, an Australian snack food company, to pay down debt. The businesses up for sale generated about $2.1 billion in net sales in fiscal 2018, according to the company.

Loeb has criticized the board’s “abysmal oversight� and argued that the company should find a strategic buyer. Third Point, the hedge fund he runs, started building up its stake in Campbell after Morrison’s departure. It said in a regulatory filing this month that it had partnered with fellow investor George Strawbridge to push for a sale of the company. They collectively hold about 8.4% of Campbell shares.

Third Point declined to comment. Strawbridge didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

Campbell’s board considered a sale of the entire company during the recent review, according to the statement, but decided instead to refocus on its North American operations while also shedding assets in a move that could potentially make the company more attractive to buyers down the road.

“The board remains open and committed to evaluating all strategic options to enhance value in the future,� interim CEO Keith McLoughlin said.

In addition to announcing the potential asset sales, Campbell released quarterly earnings Thursday. The company said adjusted profit will be $2.45 to $2.53 per share in fiscal 2019, missing the average estimate of $2.67.

Asset sales

Campbell has struggled with declining sales in recent years as people seeking out less-processed foods turn away from its namesake soup. A push to add healthier brands to its portfolio with the acquisition of Bolthouse Farms had been hampered by operational issues. Now that unit is up for sale.

The focus for the company going forward will be soup and snacks in North America. Late in 2017, Campbell announced it was buying potato chip and pretzel maker Snyder’s-Lance for about $4.9 billion in a bid to find growth in salty snacks. In addition to its soup unit, Campbell has a snack division that makes Goldfish and Pepperidge Farm cookies.

Loeb said in the filing this month that Third Point had held conversations with McLoughlin, who took over after Morrison departed. Based on the talks, and subsequent statements from the company, Loeb said he believed a sale was being considered. And given the obstacles the company faces, “the only justifiable outcome of the strategic review is for the issuer to be sold to a strategic buyer,� he said.

Loeb said in the filing that the board of directors had “permitted management missteps, dismal operating performance, and a series of ill-advised acquisitions to take an irreversible toll.�

UPDATES:

3:10 p.m.: This article was updated with the stock’s closing price.

This article was originally published at 6:50 a.m.