The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC – Get Rating) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $40.13.

Several research firms recently commented on KHC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 23rd. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research report on Wednesday, March 30th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Kraft Heinz from $41.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 28th. Credit Suisse Group boosted their price target on shares of Kraft Heinz from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 23rd. Finally, TheStreet raised shares of Kraft Heinz from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Monday, March 28th.

In related news, CEO Miguel Patricio sold 259,958 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.28, for a total value of $11,510,940.24. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,897,433 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,018,333.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KHC. Sandy Cove Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 521.7% during the 4th quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 715 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the period. Bell Investment Advisors Inc bought a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. TAP Consulting LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 383.7% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 803 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 637 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.09% of the company’s stock.

Shares of KHC stock traded up $0.21 on Friday, hitting $39.82. The stock had a trading volume of 112,171 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,417,286. The firm has a market cap of $48.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.01, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.84. Kraft Heinz has a twelve month low of $32.78 and a twelve month high of $44.87. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $41.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 27th. The company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.81 billion. Kraft Heinz had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 6.95%. The firm’s revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.72 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Kraft Heinz will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 27th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 26th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.02%. Kraft Heinz’s payout ratio is 161.62%.

Kraft Heinz Company Profile (Get Rating)

The Kraft Heinz Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets food and beverage products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. Its products include condiments and sauces, cheese and dairy products, meals, meats, refreshment beverages, coffee, and other grocery products.

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