Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) Research Coverage Started at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) in a research report released on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued an underweight rating and a $29.00 price objective on the stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI reissued an “in-line” rating and issued a $35.00 price objective (down previously from $38.00) on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Kraft Heinz from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $32.00 to $28.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Kraft Heinz from $31.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Kraft Heinz from $37.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Kraft Heinz currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.73.

Kraft Heinz Price Performance

NASDAQ KHC opened at $29.69 on Monday. Kraft Heinz has a 52-week low of $27.25 and a 52-week high of $38.96. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.79. The stock has a market cap of $35.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.14, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.40.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.06. Kraft Heinz had a net margin of 10.62% and a return on equity of 7.58%. Analysts anticipate that Kraft Heinz will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kraft Heinz Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.39%. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio is presently 70.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kraft Heinz

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sawyer & Company Inc acquired a new position in Kraft Heinz in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Kraft Heinz by 191.0% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 969 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 636 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Kraft Heinz during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 78.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Kraft Heinz

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.