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

The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the twelve analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $37.25.

A number of analysts have recently commented on KHC shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut Kraft Heinz from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $40.00 to $38.00 in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Kraft Heinz from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Citigroup dropped their target price on Kraft Heinz from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Kraft Heinz from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $39.00 to $35.00 in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st.

Kraft Heinz Trading Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ KHC opened at $33.38 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $35.10 and a 200 day moving average of $34.78. The company has a market capitalization of $40.36 billion, a PE ratio of 30.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.53. Kraft Heinz has a 1 year low of $31.58 and a 1 year high of $38.96.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $6.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.42 billion. Kraft Heinz had a net margin of 5.24% and a return on equity of 7.46%. The business’s revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.72 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Kraft Heinz will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Kraft Heinz Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio is presently 144.14%.

Institutional Trading of Kraft Heinz

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 249.5% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 741 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 529 shares in the last quarter. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. acquired a new position in Kraft Heinz in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Kraft Heinz in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. raised its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 1,077.0% during the third quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 871 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 797 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC lifted its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 94.8% during the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 978 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

About Kraft Heinz

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.