The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) Shares Sold by Aviva PLC

Aviva PLC trimmed its position in shares of The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC - Free Report) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 882,771 shares of the company's stock after selling 17,028 shares during the period. Aviva PLC owned approximately 0.07% of Kraft Heinz worth $27,110,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 19.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 90,508,763 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,779,524,000 after buying an additional 14,996,486 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,745,734 shares of the company's stock valued at $604,644,000 after acquiring an additional 595,406 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter valued at $324,857,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 16.3% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 8,813,268 shares of the company's stock worth $269,906,000 after acquiring an additional 1,238,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,601,292 shares of the company's stock worth $172,016,000 after purchasing an additional 293,694 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.17% of the company's stock.

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Kraft Heinz Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KHC traded up $0.42 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $29.26. 3,177,858 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,998,540. The company has a market cap of $34.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.94, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.44. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $29.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.29. The Kraft Heinz Company has a 52 week low of $27.25 and a 52 week high of $38.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.06. Kraft Heinz had a net margin of 10.62% and a return on equity of 7.58%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kraft Heinz Company will post 2.68 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, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Kraft Heinz's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research report on Monday, March 24th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $29.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a "sell" rating and issued a $27.00 target price (down previously from $28.00) on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Bank of America cut Kraft Heinz from a "buy" rating to an "underperform" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $36.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI reissued an "in-line" rating and set a $35.00 target price (down from $38.00) on shares of Kraft Heinz in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on Kraft Heinz from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kraft Heinz has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $30.67.

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.