Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $24.90, but opened at $23.80. Kraft Heinz shares last traded at $25.0150, with a volume of 9,773,262 shares trading hands.

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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on KHC. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Kraft Heinz from $25.00 to $22.00 in a report on Thursday. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Kraft Heinz from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $24.00 to $22.00 in a report on Thursday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Kraft Heinz from $26.00 to $23.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kraft Heinz currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $25.16.

Kraft Heinz Trading Up 2.0%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $29.36 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.02 and a beta of 0.08. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $24.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $25.36.

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

Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.5%. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio is -42.90%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kraft Heinz news, insider Miguel Patricio sold 125,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.82, for a total transaction of $3,102,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 686,817 shares in the company, valued at $17,046,797.94. This trade represents a 15.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kraft Heinz

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jessup Wealth Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Key Capital Management INC bought a new stake in Kraft Heinz in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 70.2% in the 4th quarter. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,239 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 511 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in Kraft Heinz by 172.4% in the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 1,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 788 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cape Investment Advisory Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 164.7% during the 2nd quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 1,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 807 shares during the period. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kraft Heinz Company Profile

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.