Investors Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC)

Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Friday. Investors bought 58,273 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 99% compared to the typical volume of 29,250 call options.

More Kraft Heinz News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company announced a meaningful quarterly dividend (annualized yield ~6.6%; ex‑dividend March 6). Stable, high yield supports income-focused investors and can cushion downside for the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call buying: traders purchased ~58,273 KHC calls (≈99% above average), indicating short‑term bullish/speculative positioning that can amplify upside volume and volatility.
• Neutral Sentiment: Kraft Heinz is increasing investments: management forecast ~ $950M capital spending for 2026 and has committed ~$600M to revive growth — this signals a shift to reinvest in brands but raises near‑term execution questions. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are split: Sanford Bernstein raised its PT to $27 while Deutsche Bank trimmed its PT to $23; other shops issued varying revisions (Piper Sandler, Barclays, Evercore, BNP). The mixed guidance reflects uncertainty and explains volatile price reactions. Read More. • Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Some sell-side research is bearish: Seeking Alpha published a negative note calling the “catalyst” gone after a weak quarter, impairment charges and brand declines — a narrative that can pressure investor confidence. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Major downgrades: JPMorgan downgraded KHC to underweight with a $22 PT, signaling limited near‑term upside after the breakup pause — a clear negative for sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Additional downside pressure from price‑target cuts at Evercore and BNP Paribas (to $22 and $20 respectively) and continued concerns over slowing sales, a large impairment and margin pressure following Q4 results. Read More. • Read More.

Kraft Heinz Stock Performance

Shares of KHC opened at $24.80 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $29.36 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.02 and a beta of 0.08. Kraft Heinz has a twelve month low of $21.99 and a twelve month high of $33.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.15. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $24.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.34.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.38 billion. Kraft Heinz had a negative net margin of 23.44% and a positive return on equity of 7.07%. The firm’s revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.84 earnings per share. Kraft Heinz has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.100 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Kraft Heinz will post 2.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kraft Heinz Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.5%. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -42.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $23.00 target price on Kraft Heinz in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Kraft Heinz from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price target on shares of Kraft Heinz from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Evercore lowered their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $28.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Friday, January 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $25.16.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kraft Heinz news, insider Miguel Patricio sold 125,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.82, for a total transaction of $3,102,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 686,817 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,046,797.94. The trade was a 15.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. FORA Capital LLC lifted its stake in Kraft Heinz by 41.3% in the 4th quarter. FORA Capital LLC now owns 26,242 shares of the company’s stock valued at $636,000 after acquiring an additional 7,673 shares in the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 45,317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,099,000 after purchasing an additional 1,267 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 3,961 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 742 shares in the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. grew its position in Kraft Heinz by 33.3% in the fourth quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 87,829 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,130,000 after purchasing an additional 21,929 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Kraft Heinz by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 520,750 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,628,000 after buying an additional 2,139 shares during the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.