Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) Given Consensus Rating of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Shares of Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the seventeen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $23.3333.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on KHC shares. Barclays raised their target price on Kraft Heinz from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered Kraft Heinz from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $25.00 to $21.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Evercore set a $24.00 target price on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th.

Kraft Heinz Stock Up 1.9%

KHC opened at $24.73 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $29.32 billion, a PE ratio of -8.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.09. Kraft Heinz has a twelve month low of $21.03 and a twelve month high of $28.09. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $25.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.03. Kraft Heinz had a positive return on equity of 7.10% and a negative net margin of 13.64%.The company had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.69 EPS. Kraft Heinz’s revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Kraft Heinz has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.030-2.090 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Kraft Heinz will post 2.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, September 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio is currently -55.94%.

Kraft Heinz News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Philadelphia product expansion: Kraft Heinz is introducing three new Philadelphia cream cheese flavors, including a Mike’s Hot Honey whipped cream cheese sold exclusively at Walmart nationwide. The launches are intended to attract shoppers and make the brand more relevant. Kraft Heinz unveils new Philadelphia cream cheese flavors to win back shoppers
• Positive Sentiment: Major brand investment: Kraft Heinz plans to increase spending on Philadelphia by 63% this year as part of a broader $700 million reinvestment in its portfolio. If successful, the strategy could support sales growth and improve brand momentum. Kraft Heinz bets on more flavors for Philadelphia cream cheese as it looks to revive brands
• Positive Sentiment: Oscar Mayer turnaround: Management identified a resealability problem in Oscar Mayer packaging as the primary cause of recent sales losses and is working to correct it. Fixing the issue could reduce an operational drag on results. Kraft Heinz looks to fix Oscar Mayer after sales losses
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary describes KHC’s valuation as reasonable following the Oscar Mayer fix effort, but the investment case remains dependent on whether brand reinvestment translates into sustainable revenue growth. Kraft Heinz stock looks reasonable following Oscar Mayer fix effort
• Negative Sentiment: The company’s earlier breakup plan has been halted, leaving investors focused on whether the $700 million turnaround can reverse years of disappointing sales. The uncertainty helps explain continued caution toward KHC. Kraft Heinz moves to the NYSE: What happened to the breakup?

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kraft Heinz news, insider Diana Frost sold 18,502 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.05, for a total value of $426,471.10. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 102,667 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,366,474.35. This represents a 15.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kraft Heinz

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new position in Kraft Heinz during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,968,000. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,076,000. Swedbank AB raised its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,359,161 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,960,000 after purchasing an additional 125,307 shares in the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 68.7% during the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 2,052,635 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,776,000 after purchasing an additional 835,554 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC lifted its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 70.2% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC now owns 994,375 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,487,000 after purchasing an additional 410,029 shares during the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kraft Heinz Company Profile

The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ: KHC) is a global food and beverage company that develops, manufactures and markets branded products for consumers, retailers, foodservice operators and other customers. Its portfolio includes condiments and sauces, cheese and dairy products, meals, meats, beverages, snacks and other packaged foods.

The company’s well-known brands include Kraft, Heinz, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Velveeta, Lunchables, Capri Sun, Jell-O, Maxwell House and Classico, among others.