Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) Given Average Rating of “Reduce” by Analysts

Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) has been given an average recommendation of “Reduce” by the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $30.29.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on KHC shares. Citigroup restated a “sell” rating and set a $27.00 price objective (down previously from $28.00) on shares of Kraft Heinz in a report on Friday, April 4th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Kraft Heinz from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $25.00 to $27.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Cfra Research cut Kraft Heinz from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, DZ Bank cut Kraft Heinz from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $31.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Friday, May 9th.

Kraft Heinz Price Performance

KHC stock opened at $27.14 on Friday. Kraft Heinz has a 1 year low of $25.44 and a 1 year high of $36.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.31. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $26.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.72. The firm has a market cap of $32.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.39, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.25.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. Kraft Heinz had a return on equity of 7.37% and a net margin of 10.44%. The firm had revenue of $6 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.69 EPS. Kraft Heinz’s revenue was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Kraft Heinz will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kraft Heinz Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 30th. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.06%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in Kraft Heinz in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Investment Management Corp VA ADV grew its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 141.7% during the first quarter. Investment Management Corp VA ADV now owns 1,141 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 669 shares in the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.