Prudential Financial Inc. Has $14.98 Million Stock Holdings in The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC)

Prudential Financial Inc. decreased its position in shares of The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) by 15.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 487,700 shares of the company’s stock after selling 88,741 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in Kraft Heinz were worth $14,977,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sawyer & Company Inc bought a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new stake in Kraft Heinz in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. bought a new stake in Kraft Heinz in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 191.0% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 969 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 636 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Kraft Heinz Trading Up 1.3 %

Kraft Heinz stock opened at $30.07 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $29.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The Kraft Heinz Company has a 12 month low of $27.25 and a 12 month high of $38.96. The stock has a market cap of $35.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.40.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.06. Kraft Heinz had a return on equity of 7.58% and a net margin of 10.62%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Kraft Heinz Company will post 2.68 EPS for the current year.

Kraft Heinz Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.32%. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on KHC. StockNews.com raised shares of Kraft Heinz from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Evercore ISI reissued an “in-line” rating and set a $35.00 price objective (down previously from $38.00) on shares of Kraft Heinz in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup lowered Kraft Heinz from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $34.00 to $28.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Kraft Heinz in a report on Monday. They set an “underweight” rating and a $29.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.73.

Kraft Heinz Company Profile

The Kraft Heinz Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets food and beverage products in North America and internationally. Its products include condiments and sauces, cheese and dairy products, meals, meats, refreshment beverages, coffee, and other grocery products under the Kraft, Oscar Mayer, Heinz, Philadelphia, Lunchables, Velveeta, Ore-Ida, Maxwell House, Kool-Aid, Jell-O, Heinz, ABC, Master, Quero, Kraft, Golden Circle, Wattie's, Pudliszki, and Plasmon brands.