Kraft Heinz Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:KHC)

Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) was the target of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 68,838 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 143% compared to the average volume of 28,302 call options.

Kraft Heinz Stock Down 0.1%

KHC traded down $0.03 during trading on Thursday, hitting $24.89. 1,943,254 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,361,023. Kraft Heinz has a fifty-two week low of $21.03 and a fifty-two week high of $29.19. The stock has a market cap of $29.51 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.13 and a beta of 0.09. The business’s 50 day moving average is $23.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $6.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.89 billion. Kraft Heinz had a negative net margin of 23.05% and a positive return on equity of 7.26%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.62 EPS. Kraft Heinz has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.100 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Kraft Heinz will post 2.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 26th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.4%. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio is -32.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on KHC. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Kraft Heinz from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 30th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Kraft Heinz from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Morgan Stanley set a $22.00 target price on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kraft Heinz from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $23.00.

Insider Activity at Kraft Heinz

In related news, insider Diana Frost sold 18,502 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.05, for a total value of $426,471.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 102,667 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,366,474.35. This represents a 15.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Kraft Heinz

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KHC. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Jessup Wealth Management Inc purchased a new position in Kraft Heinz during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Key Capital Management INC purchased a new stake in Kraft Heinz in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC bought a new position in Kraft Heinz in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

About Kraft Heinz

The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ: KHC) is a global food and beverage company formed in 2015 through the merger of Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz Company. The combination created one of the largest packaged-food companies in the world, built around well-known consumer brands. The merger was supported by major investors and established a multi-national platform for branded food products.

Kraft Heinz develops, manufactures, markets and distributes a broad portfolio of branded packaged foods and condiments.