The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) Short Interest Up 11.0% in September

The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 35,010,000 shares, an increase of 11.0% from the September 15th total of 31,540,000 shares. Currently, 2.9% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 7,670,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.6 days.

Kraft Heinz Trading Up 0.3 %

Kraft Heinz stock opened at $35.81 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $43.48 billion, a PE ratio of 15.64, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.49. Kraft Heinz has a 12 month low of $31.08 and a 12 month high of $38.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $35.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $34.98.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $6.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.55 billion. Kraft Heinz had a return on equity of 7.38% and a net margin of 7.30%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.79 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Kraft Heinz will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Kraft Heinz Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.47%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Kraft Heinz’s payout ratio is 69.87%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on KHC. Barclays raised their price target on Kraft Heinz from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $42.00 to $38.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Kraft Heinz from $43.00 to $39.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Kraft Heinz from $38.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on Kraft Heinz from $42.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $37.55.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kraft Heinz news, insider Cory Onell sold 4,076 shares of Kraft Heinz stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.00, for a total value of $146,736.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 143,970 shares in the company, valued at $5,182,920. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.32% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KHC. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new position in Kraft Heinz in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Asset Dedication LLC grew its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 94.8% in the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 978 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. Bangor Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Kraft Heinz in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Valley Wealth Managers Inc. boosted its position in Kraft Heinz by 46.4% during the second quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 1,073 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.