Investors Purchase High Volume of Kraft Heinz Call Options (NASDAQ:KHC)

Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors purchased 74,729 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 177% compared to the typical volume of 26,984 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on KHC. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Evercore set a $23.00 price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Kraft Heinz in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price target on Kraft Heinz from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $23.19.

Insider Activity at Kraft Heinz

In related news, insider Diana Frost sold 18,502 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,366,474.35. The trade was a 15.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kraft Heinz

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Jessup Wealth Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Key Capital Management INC acquired a new stake in Kraft Heinz during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in Kraft Heinz during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Kraft Heinz

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kraft Heinz announced a strategic alliance with Walt Disney spanning food service, media, events, and branded experiences, which could open new revenue and marketing opportunities and improve the company’s turnaround story. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Traders bought 74,729 call options on KHC, far above normal volume, suggesting rising speculation on further upside in the shares.
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Kraft Heinz as an ideal LBO/take-private target may be supporting the stock by keeping deal speculation alive, especially given its beaten-down valuation profile. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary on consumer staples names, including KHC, suggests the stock remains a debated value play rather than a clear consensus winner. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Recent market coverage noted that KHC had fallen in the prior session, reflecting ongoing investor caution around the company’s fundamentals and the broader consumer-staples backdrop. Article Title

Kraft Heinz Stock Up 1.2%

KHC stock opened at $25.67 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $24.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.57. Kraft Heinz has a 52-week low of $21.03 and a 52-week high of $29.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.28 and a beta of 0.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $6.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.89 billion. Kraft Heinz had a positive return on equity of 7.26% and a negative net margin of 23.05%.The company’s revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.62 EPS. Kraft Heinz has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.100 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Kraft Heinz will post 2.07 EPS for the current year.

Kraft Heinz Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.2%. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -32.92%.

About Kraft Heinz

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.