First Trust Advisors LP Boosts Stake in Kraft Heinz Company $KHC

First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) by 13.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,642,722 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 561,661 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Kraft Heinz were worth $104,415,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Jessup Wealth Management Inc purchased a new position in Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in Kraft Heinz in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Key Capital Management INC bought a new position in Kraft Heinz in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in Kraft Heinz in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Kraft Heinz Stock Performance

KHC stock opened at $25.67 on Friday. Kraft Heinz Company has a 1-year low of $21.03 and a 1-year high of $29.19. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $24.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.57. The company has a market capitalization of $30.44 billion, a P/E 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 issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $6.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.89 billion. Kraft Heinz had a negative net margin of 23.05% and a positive return on equity of 7.26%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.62 EPS. Kraft Heinz has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.100 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Kraft Heinz Company will post 2.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kraft Heinz Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Kraft Heinz from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kraft Heinz from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut shares of Kraft Heinz from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $25.00 to $21.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $23.19.

Key Stories 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

Insider Transactions at Kraft Heinz

In related news, insider Diana Frost sold 18,502 shares of Kraft Heinz stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.05, for a total transaction of $426,471.10. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 102,667 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,366,474.35. This trade represents a 15.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kraft Heinz Company 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.