Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) Receives Consensus Rating of “Reduce” from Analysts

Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) has received a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the twenty-one analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $26.5789.

KHC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $28.00 to $24.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Zacks Research lowered Kraft Heinz from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. HSBC cut their price target on Kraft Heinz from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $27.00 to $26.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kraft Heinz

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KHC. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 34.3% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 8,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 2,100 shares during the period. Investment Research Partners LLC bought a new position in Kraft Heinz in the 3rd quarter worth about $935,000. Strategic Advocates LLC bought a new position in Kraft Heinz in the 3rd quarter worth about $187,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 49.7% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 9,183 shares of the company’s stock valued at $239,000 after buying an additional 3,047 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the third quarter valued at about $9,360,000. Institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Kraft Heinz Stock Up 0.2%

Kraft Heinz stock opened at $24.45 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $24.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.55 and a beta of 0.09. Kraft Heinz has a 1-year low of $23.70 and a 1-year high of $33.35.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 8th. The company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $6.39 billion during the quarter. Kraft Heinz had a negative net margin of 17.35% and a positive return on equity of 7.26%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Kraft Heinz will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kraft Heinz Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 26th. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 28th. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio is presently -42.90%.

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.