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

Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Friday. Traders acquired 58,273 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 99% compared to the typical volume of 29,250 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on KHC shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Kraft Heinz from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $23.00 target price on Kraft Heinz in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Kraft Heinz from $28.00 to $27.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $25.21.

Key Headlines Impacting Kraft Heinz

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company announced a meaningful quarterly dividend (annualized yield ~6.6%; ex‑dividend March 6). Stable, high yield supports income-focused investors and can cushion downside for the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call buying: traders purchased ~58,273 KHC calls (≈99% above average), indicating short‑term bullish/speculative positioning that can amplify upside volume and volatility.
• Neutral Sentiment: Kraft Heinz is increasing investments: management forecast ~ $950M capital spending for 2026 and has committed ~$600M to revive growth — this signals a shift to reinvest in brands but raises near‑term execution questions. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are split: Sanford Bernstein raised its PT to $27 while Deutsche Bank trimmed its PT to $23; other shops issued varying revisions (Piper Sandler, Barclays, Evercore, BNP). The mixed guidance reflects uncertainty and explains volatile price reactions. Read More. • Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Some sell-side research is bearish: Seeking Alpha published a negative note calling the “catalyst” gone after a weak quarter, impairment charges and brand declines — a narrative that can pressure investor confidence. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Major downgrades: JPMorgan downgraded KHC to underweight with a $22 PT, signaling limited near‑term upside after the breakup pause — a clear negative for sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Additional downside pressure from price‑target cuts at Evercore and BNP Paribas (to $22 and $20 respectively) and continued concerns over slowing sales, a large impairment and margin pressure following Q4 results. Read More. • Read More.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kraft Heinz

In other news, insider Miguel Patricio sold 125,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 686,817 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,046,797.94. The trade was a 15.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz in the 1st quarter worth about $207,000. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 39.0% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 73,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,243,000 after buying an additional 20,690 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in Kraft Heinz by 19.7% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 6,121 shares of the company’s stock worth $164,000 after acquiring an additional 1,006 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Kraft Heinz by 18.4% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,276 shares of the company’s stock valued at $136,000 after acquiring an additional 821 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Kraft Heinz by 1.3% in the second quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 98,991 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,556,000 after acquiring an additional 1,242 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Kraft Heinz Price Performance

KHC opened at $24.80 on Friday. Kraft Heinz has a 1 year low of $21.99 and a 1 year high of $33.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $29.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.02 and a beta of 0.08. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $24.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.31.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.06. Kraft Heinz had a negative net margin of 23.44% and a positive return on equity of 7.07%. The company had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.84 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. Kraft Heinz has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.100 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Kraft Heinz will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kraft Heinz Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -32.39%.

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.