Auxier Asset Management Sells 1,824 Shares of The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC)

Auxier Asset Management lessened its stake in shares of The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) by 18.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,068 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,824 shares during the period. Auxier Asset Management’s holdings in Kraft Heinz were worth $248,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 19.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 90,508,763 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,779,524,000 after purchasing an additional 14,996,486 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Kraft Heinz by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,745,734 shares of the company’s stock worth $604,644,000 after acquiring an additional 595,406 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter worth $324,857,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Kraft Heinz by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,289,691 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,286,000 after acquiring an additional 1,039,885 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Kraft Heinz by 23.4% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,585,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $263,650,000 after acquiring an additional 1,628,516 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Kraft Heinz Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of KHC stock opened at $26.30 on Friday. The Kraft Heinz Company has a 1 year low of $26.01 and a 1 year high of $36.53. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $28.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $29.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The company has a market cap of $31.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.64, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.30.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $6 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.02 billion. Kraft Heinz had a net margin of 10.62% and a return on equity of 7.58%. Kraft Heinz’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.69 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Kraft Heinz Company will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. Kraft Heinz’s payout ratio is currently 73.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on KHC. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Kraft Heinz from $31.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Kraft Heinz in a report on Monday, March 24th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $29.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $27.00 target price (down from $28.00) on shares of Kraft Heinz in a report on Friday, April 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Kraft Heinz from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Kraft Heinz from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.65.

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.