Prudential PLC Grows Position in Kraft Heinz Company $KHC

Prudential PLC boosted its stake in Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) by 1,294.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 439,488 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 407,971 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Kraft Heinz were worth $10,658,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KHC. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Kraft Heinz in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $332,382,000. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in Kraft Heinz in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,451,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 2,264.5% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,458,451 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,367,000 after purchasing an additional 1,396,770 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 112.2% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,491,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,872,000 after purchasing an additional 1,317,201 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 148.4% in the fourth quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 2,168,874 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,595,000 after purchasing an additional 1,295,688 shares during the period. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kraft Heinz News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said he has “faith” in Kraft Heinz CEO Steve, which may help improve sentiment by signaling confidence in management and the company’s turnaround prospects. Jim Cramer on Kraft Heinz CEO: “I Have Faith in Steve”
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual call-option activity suggests some traders are positioning for a rebound, which can sometimes signal renewed speculative interest in the shares. Unusual trading in Kraft Heinz call options after CEO interview – Is KHC stock a buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s recent earnings were generally solid, with Kraft Heinz beating EPS and revenue estimates last month, but the stock has still struggled to hold momentum afterward. Kraft Heinz stock/earnings overview
• Negative Sentiment: Bernstein downgraded Kraft Heinz to Underperform/Sell and lowered its price target, reinforcing worries that the shares could have more downside ahead. Kraft Heinz was downgraded to a Sell Rating at Bernstein
• Negative Sentiment: Articles focused on the stock being down since its last earnings report highlight weakening momentum and investor concern that the post-earnings rally has faded. Why Is Kraft Heinz (KHC) Down 5% Since Last Earnings Report?
• Negative Sentiment: Management commentary on “negative cash flows” among lower-income consumers points to softer demand for packaged foods if stressed households keep pulling back on spending. Running out of money: Kraft, McDonald’s, Whirlpool CEOs all issue same dire warning about US consumers

Kraft Heinz Price Performance

KHC opened at $22.58 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Kraft Heinz Company has a 52-week low of $21.03 and a 52-week high of $29.19. The company has a 50 day moving average of $22.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.63. The company has a market cap of $26.77 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.65 and a beta of 0.08.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.08. Kraft Heinz had a negative net margin of 23.05% and a positive return on equity of 7.26%. The business had revenue of $6.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.62 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Kraft Heinz has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.100 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Kraft Heinz Company will post 2.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th 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 7.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. Kraft Heinz’s payout ratio is presently -32.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on KHC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of Kraft Heinz from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $25.00 to $21.00 in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $23.00 price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kraft Heinz from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 31st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kraft Heinz from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $22.69.

Kraft Heinz 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.