The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Shares of The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) have earned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $30.86.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup downgraded Kraft Heinz from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $34.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th.

Kraft Heinz Stock Up 2.9 %

KHC stock opened at $32.18 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06. The company has a market capitalization of $38.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.24, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.40. Kraft Heinz has a fifty-two week low of $27.25 and a fifty-two week high of $38.96. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $29.85 and a 200-day moving average of $32.27.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 research analysts predict that Kraft Heinz will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.97%. Kraft Heinz’s payout ratio is currently 70.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kraft Heinz

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KHC. Sawyer & Company Inc bought a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. bought a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.