June 5 (Reuters) - Campbell Soup ( CPB ) on Wednesday

raised its forecast for annual net sales growth, banking on a

recovery in demand for its ready-to-eat soups and meals and from

its acquisition of Rao's sauce maker Sovos Brands.

After several quarters of declines, volumes for the company

products showed a sequential improvement this year, helped by

Campbell easing back on price hikes as well as a slight let up

in the strain on consumers' household budgets as inflationary

pressures cool.

Both volumes and price realization in the third quarter were

flat, compared with a 2% drop in volumes and a 1% rise in prices

in the preceding quarter.

The company, which sells ready-to-eat meals and snacks, also

benefited from consumers, particularly in the lower-income

cohort, looking for more affordable meals at home.

Campbell expects annual net sales growth of 3% to 4%,

compared with its previous range of a fall of 0.5% to a rise of

1.5%.

Campbell's third-quarter net sales rose 6% to $2.4 billion,

helped by the Sovos Brands acquisition, which it completed in

March this year.

It reported organic net sales of $2.2 billion for the

quarter. Analysts, on an average, were expecting net sales of

$2.36 billion, as per LSEG data.

Excluding items, Campbell Soup ( CPB ) posted earnings of 75 cents

per share in the quarter, compared with estimates of 70 cents.

The company, however, lowered its annual organic net sales

forecast to "reflect the current pace of consumer recovery." It

now expects organic net sales in the range of flat to down 1%,

compared with prior expectations of flat to a 2% rise.

The Goldfish crackers owner expects to deliver an annual

adjusted profit between $3.07 and $3.10 per share, compared to a

prior range of $3.09 to $3.15 per share.