Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Kraft Heinz Call Options (NASDAQ:KHC)

Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Traders purchased 74,729 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 177% compared to the average volume of 26,984 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kraft Heinz from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 4th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Kraft Heinz in a research report on Monday, April 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on Kraft Heinz from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Evercore set a $23.00 price target on Kraft Heinz in a research report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $23.19.

Insider Transactions at Kraft Heinz

In other news, insider Diana Frost sold 18,502 shares of Kraft Heinz stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.05, for a total value of $426,471.10. Following the sale, the insider owned 102,667 shares in the company, valued at $2,366,474.35. This trade represents a 15.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Jessup Wealth Management Inc purchased a new position in Kraft Heinz during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Key Capital Management INC purchased a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

More Kraft Heinz News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kraft Heinz this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kraft Heinz announced a strategic alliance with Walt Disney spanning food service, media, events, and branded experiences, which could open new revenue and marketing opportunities and improve the company’s turnaround story. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Traders bought 74,729 call options on KHC, far above normal volume, suggesting rising speculation on further upside in the shares.
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Kraft Heinz as an ideal LBO/take-private target may be supporting the stock by keeping deal speculation alive, especially given its beaten-down valuation profile. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary on consumer staples names, including KHC, suggests the stock remains a debated value play rather than a clear consensus winner. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Recent market coverage noted that KHC had fallen in the prior session, reflecting ongoing investor caution around the company’s fundamentals and the broader consumer-staples backdrop. Article Title

Kraft Heinz Trading Up 1.2%

KHC opened at $25.67 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.28 and a beta of 0.09. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $24.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $23.57. Kraft Heinz has a 1-year low of $21.03 and a 1-year high of $29.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

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

Kraft Heinz Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 5th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.2%. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -32.92%.

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.