Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) Trading Up 5.1% – What’s Next?

The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) shares traded up 5.1% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $32.48 and last traded at $32.47. 5,555,799 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 45% from the average session volume of 10,083,079 shares. The stock had previously closed at $30.88.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on KHC shares. Bank of America lowered Kraft Heinz from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $36.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays decreased their target price on Kraft Heinz from $33.00 to $29.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Kraft Heinz from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Evercore ISI reissued an “in-line” rating and set a $35.00 price objective (down previously from $38.00) on shares of Kraft Heinz in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.86.

Kraft Heinz Stock Up 2.9 %

The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $29.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.29. The stock has a market cap of $38.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

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

Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.97%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Kraft Heinz’s payout ratio is 70.80%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kraft Heinz

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. New York Life Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Kraft Heinz by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 130,075 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,995,000 after buying an additional 361 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 7,265 shares of the company’s stock worth $223,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted 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 valued at $1,097,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew 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 valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc increased its stake in Kraft Heinz by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 9,560 shares of the company’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

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.