The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC – Get Rating) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fourteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $42.92.

Several research firms have weighed in on KHC. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 17th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Kraft Heinz from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 13th. Credit Suisse Group reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $38.00 price target (up from $36.00) on shares of Kraft Heinz in a report on Thursday, February 16th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Kraft Heinz in a report on Tuesday, January 3rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 target price on the stock.

Kraft Heinz Stock Down 0.1 %

KHC stock opened at $38.11 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $39.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.31. Kraft Heinz has a 12 month low of $32.73 and a 12 month high of $44.87. The company has a market cap of $46.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.47.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 15th. The company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.07. Kraft Heinz had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 7.03%. The firm had revenue of $7.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.79 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Kraft Heinz will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Kraft Heinz Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 10th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 9th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.20%. Kraft Heinz’s payout ratio is 83.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kraft Heinz news, EVP Melissa Werneck sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.39, for a total transaction of $148,365.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 266,583 shares in the company, valued at $11,300,453.37. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Kraft Heinz news, EVP Flavio Torres sold 250,571 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.58, for a total transaction of $9,917,600.18. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 188,983 shares in the company, valued at $7,479,947.14. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Melissa Werneck sold 3,500 shares of Kraft Heinz stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.39, for a total value of $148,365.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 266,583 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,300,453.37. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kraft Heinz

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KHC. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Kraft Heinz by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 23,864 shares of the company’s stock valued at $972,000 after acquiring an additional 4,859 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in Kraft Heinz by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 111,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,543,000 after acquiring an additional 23,683 shares in the last quarter. Lakewood Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Kraft Heinz in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $290,000. Whitener Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Whitener Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,350 shares of the company’s stock worth $340,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 2,014,654 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,017,000 after purchasing an additional 198,559 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.80% of the company’s stock.

About Kraft Heinz

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The Kraft Heinz Co engages in the manufacture and market of food and beverage products. The firm operates through the following geographical segments: United States, Canada and International. Its brands include Oscar Meyer, Velveeta, Smart Ones, Caprisun, Kool-Aid, Golden circle and Honig. The company was founded on July 2, 2015, and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA.