Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) Stock Rating Lowered by Exane BNP Paribas

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) was downgraded by research analysts at Exane BNP Paribas from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $28.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $27.00 to $26.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered Kraft Heinz from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $22.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays decreased their target price on Kraft Heinz from $26.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Kraft Heinz from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kraft Heinz presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $26.16.

Kraft Heinz Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ KHC opened at $22.72 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company has a market cap of $26.89 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.09 and a beta of 0.09. Kraft Heinz has a 52 week low of $21.99 and a 52 week high of $33.35. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $24.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.73.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.04. Kraft Heinz had a positive return on equity of 7.26% and a negative net margin of 17.35%.The firm had revenue of $6.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.75 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Kraft Heinz has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.500-2.57 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Kraft Heinz will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kraft Heinz

In related news, insider Miguel Patricio sold 125,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.82, for a total value of $3,102,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 686,817 shares in the company, valued at $17,046,797.94. The trade was a 15.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kraft Heinz

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. IRON Financial LLC boosted its position in Kraft Heinz by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. IRON Financial LLC now owns 31,918 shares of the company’s stock valued at $774,000 after buying an additional 1,033 shares during the period. Sterneck Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 143.8% in the 4th quarter. Sterneck Capital Management LLC now owns 23,424 shares of the company’s stock valued at $568,000 after acquiring an additional 13,817 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 14,892 shares of the company’s stock valued at $361,000 after acquiring an additional 458 shares during the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 13,237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 561 shares during the period. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management grew its position in Kraft Heinz by 59.2% during the 4th quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management now owns 8,048 shares of the company’s stock worth $195,000 after acquiring an additional 2,992 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Kraft Heinz News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large speculative interest: traders bought an unusually high volume of call options (roughly 72,473 contracts), signaling short‑term bullish bets or hedging that can support a near‑term bounce if sentiment shifts or rumors abate.
• Positive Sentiment: Some outlets highlighted relative value and a short-term rebound, noting the stock outperformed the market in the latest session. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces weighing long-term options for shareholders — including whether Berkshire exits changes the company’s strategic path — create mixed signals: potential for change but also uncertainty about who would buy such a large block. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage suggests institutional investors may be approaching a tipping point around KHC’s turnaround story; that could accelerate repositioning but is not a clear buy/sell signal on its own. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Berkshire stake resale risk: filings and reporting show Berkshire Hathaway (now under new CEO Greg Abel) may offer up to ~325 million shares for resale — the prospect of a massive supply overhang has driven heavy selling pressure and pushed KHC to multi‑year lows. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and price‑target cuts amplified downside: Exane BNP Paribas moved to a negative/strong‑sell view, and JPMorgan trimmed its target and held a neutral stance — adding pressure to sentiment and limiting near‑term upside. Read More. | Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and coverage framed Berkshire’s move as a significant reputational hit (and a confirmation of prior concerns about Kraft Heinz’s competitive position), prompting some sell‑side and media narratives that reinforce outflows unless a large buyer or deal is announced. Read More.

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.