Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Buys New Stake in The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC)

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board purchased a new position in shares of The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 8,573 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $263,000.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. New York Life Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 130,075 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,995,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 7,265 shares of the company’s stock valued at $223,000 after buying an additional 366 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 35,735 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,097,000 after buying an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 20.1% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,274 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the period. Finally, Cohen Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,266 shares of the company’s stock valued at $315,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on KHC shares. UBS Group decreased their target price on Kraft Heinz from $37.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Evercore ISI reissued an “in-line” rating and issued a $35.00 price objective (down previously from $38.00) on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Kraft Heinz in a report on Monday, March 24th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $29.00 target price on the stock. Barclays lowered their price target on Kraft Heinz from $33.00 to $29.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kraft Heinz has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.67.

Kraft Heinz Stock Up 2.3 %

KHC opened at $29.46 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $35.16 billion, a PE ratio of 13.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.44. The business has a 50-day moving average of $29.98 and a 200-day moving average of $31.12. The Kraft Heinz Company has a fifty-two week low of $27.25 and a fifty-two week high of $38.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.06. Kraft Heinz had a net margin of 10.62% and a return on equity of 7.58%. Equities research analysts forecast that The Kraft Heinz Company will post 2.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Kraft Heinz’s payout ratio is 70.80%.

Kraft Heinz 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.