The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Shares of The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the thirteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have given a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $35.23.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus downgraded shares of Kraft Heinz from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $40.00 to $38.00 in a report on Friday, October 25th. 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 research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Mizuho decreased their price target on Kraft Heinz from $43.00 to $41.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $35.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th.

Kraft Heinz Trading Up 1.0 %

KHC stock traded up $0.30 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $29.27. 7,978,023 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,205,660. Kraft Heinz has a 1-year low of $28.37 and a 1-year high of $38.96. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $33.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.39 billion, a PE ratio of 26.37, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $6.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.72 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Kraft Heinz will post 3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kraft Heinz Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were issued 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 payout ratio is currently 144.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kraft Heinz news, EVP Pedro F. P. Navio sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.45, for a total transaction of $1,505,250.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 168,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,626,122.75. This trade represents a 21.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kraft Heinz

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MADDEN SECURITIES Corp boosted its position in Kraft Heinz by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. MADDEN SECURITIES Corp now owns 12,756 shares of the company's stock worth $448,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the period. Axiom Advisory LLC raised its position in Kraft Heinz by 5.2% during the third quarter. Axiom Advisory LLC now owns 6,594 shares of the company's stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 3.6% in the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 10,388 shares of the company's stock worth $365,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares during the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 20.1% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,274 shares of the company's stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc lifted its stake in Kraft Heinz by 4.2% in the third quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 9,560 shares of the company's stock valued at $336,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the last quarter. 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.