Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Shares of Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the eighteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and fourteen have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $30.35.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. DZ Bank cut Kraft Heinz from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $31.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, May 9th. Citigroup reissued a “sell” rating and set a $27.00 price target (down previously from $28.00) on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Kraft Heinz from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Kraft Heinz in a research note on Monday, March 24th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $29.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered Kraft Heinz from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $34.00 to $31.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd.

Kraft Heinz Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KHC opened at $26.03 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $27.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.13. The stock has a market cap of $30.81 billion, a PE ratio of 11.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.31. Kraft Heinz has a one year low of $25.53 and a one year high of $36.53.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $6 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.02 billion. Kraft Heinz had a return on equity of 7.37% and a net margin of 10.44%. Kraft Heinz’s quarterly revenue was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.69 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Kraft Heinz will post 2.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.15%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.06%.

Institutional Trading of Kraft Heinz

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of KHC. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Investment Management Corp VA ADV grew its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 141.7% during the first quarter. Investment Management Corp VA ADV now owns 1,141 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 669 shares in the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.