Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Grows Stake in The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC - Free Report) by 1,139.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,273,579 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,170,814 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.11% of Kraft Heinz worth $39,112,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of KHC. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Kraft Heinz by 23.2% during the fourth quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 24,702 shares of the company's stock valued at $759,000 after purchasing an additional 4,648 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 10,742 shares of the company's stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 803 shares in the last quarter. Ignite Planners LLC lifted its position in Kraft Heinz by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 18,411 shares of the company's stock worth $564,000 after buying an additional 847 shares during the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division boosted its stake in Kraft Heinz by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 19,402 shares of the company's stock worth $596,000 after buying an additional 696 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Adams Asset Advisors LLC grew its position in Kraft Heinz by 23.4% during the fourth quarter. Adams Asset Advisors LLC now owns 316,577 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,722,000 after acquiring an additional 59,974 shares during the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kraft Heinz Trading Up 1.0 %

Kraft Heinz stock traded up $0.30 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $29.27. 7,978,023 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,579,060. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $30.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $33.22. The Kraft Heinz Company has a 52-week low of $28.37 and a 52-week high of $38.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.37, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.48.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $6.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.42 billion. Kraft Heinz had a net margin of 5.24% and a return on equity of 7.46%. Kraft Heinz's revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.72 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that The Kraft Heinz Company will post 3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kraft Heinz Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.47%. Kraft Heinz's dividend payout ratio is presently 144.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Pedro F. P. Navio sold 45,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.45, for a total transaction of $1,505,250.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 168,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,626,122.75. The trade was a 21.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on KHC shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $35.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Kraft Heinz from $43.00 to $41.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Kraft Heinz from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Kraft Heinz from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $39.00 to $35.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kraft Heinz presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $35.23.

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.