The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the thirteen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $34.77.

A number of research firms have issued reports on KHC. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $35.00 price objective (down previously from $40.00) on shares of Kraft Heinz in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Evercore ISI reiterated an “in-line” rating and issued a $35.00 target price (down previously from $38.00) on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group dropped their price target on Kraft Heinz from $37.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st.

Kraft Heinz Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of Kraft Heinz stock opened at $29.31 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $30.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $33.11. Kraft Heinz has a 12-month low of $28.37 and a 12-month high of $38.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market cap of $35.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.41, a PEG ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.48.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.01. Kraft Heinz had a net margin of 5.24% and a return on equity of 7.46%. The business had revenue of $6.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.42 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.72 earnings per share. Kraft Heinz’s quarterly revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Kraft Heinz will post 3 EPS for the current year.

Kraft Heinz Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.46%. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio is presently 144.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kraft Heinz

In related news, EVP Pedro F. P. Navio sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.45, for a total value of $1,505,250.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 168,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,626,122.75. This trade represents a 21.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Kraft Heinz

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Kraft Heinz by 11.5% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,307,598 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,350,000 after buying an additional 545,504 shares in the last quarter. Clifford Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Kraft Heinz by 21.4% in the second quarter. Clifford Capital Partners LLC now owns 454,884 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,656,000 after purchasing an additional 80,101 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 52.5% during the third quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 170,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,988,000 after acquiring an additional 58,665 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management grew its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 229.8% in the 4th quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 342,880 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,530,000 after purchasing an additional 238,913 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Easterly Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Kraft Heinz by 39.4% during the third quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC now owns 157,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,529,000 after purchasing an additional 44,485 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Kraft Heinz Company Profile

The Kraft Heinz Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets food and beverage products in North America and internationally. Its products include condiments and sauces, cheese and dairy products, meals, meats, refreshment beverages, coffee, and other grocery products under the Kraft, Oscar Mayer, Heinz, Philadelphia, Lunchables, Velveeta, Ore-Ida, Maxwell House, Kool-Aid, Jell-O, Heinz, ABC, Master, Quero, Kraft, Golden Circle, Wattie's, Pudliszki, and Plasmon brands.