Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) Rating Lowered to Underperform at BNP Paribas Exane

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) was downgraded by equities researchers at BNP Paribas Exane from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. They presently have a $22.00 price objective on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane’s target price suggests a potential downside of 3.17% from the stock’s current price.

KHC has been the topic of several other reports. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Kraft Heinz from $26.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Kraft Heinz from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Kraft Heinz from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Kraft Heinz from $27.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Kraft Heinz has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $26.16.

Kraft Heinz Stock Performance

KHC opened at $22.72 on Wednesday. Kraft Heinz has a 12-month low of $21.99 and a 12-month high of $33.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.89 billion, a PE ratio of -6.09 and a beta of 0.09. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $24.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.73.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $6.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.27 billion. Kraft Heinz had a negative net margin of 17.35% and a positive return on equity of 7.26%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.75 EPS. Kraft Heinz has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.500-2.57 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Kraft Heinz will post 2.68 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Kraft Heinz

In other news, insider Miguel Patricio sold 125,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.82, for a total value of $3,102,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 686,817 shares in the company, valued at $17,046,797.94. The trade was a 15.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kraft Heinz

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KHC. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in Kraft Heinz by 172.4% during the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 1,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 788 shares during the period. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. grew its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 164.7% in the second quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 1,297 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 807 shares during the period. Anfield Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 256.7% during the third quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 1,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Key Kraft Heinz News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large speculative interest: traders bought an unusually high volume of call options (roughly 72,473 contracts), signaling short‑term bullish bets or hedging that can support a near‑term bounce if sentiment shifts or rumors abate.
• Positive Sentiment: Some outlets highlighted relative value and a short-term rebound, noting the stock outperformed the market in the latest session. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces weighing long-term options for shareholders — including whether Berkshire exits changes the company’s strategic path — create mixed signals: potential for change but also uncertainty about who would buy such a large block. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage suggests institutional investors may be approaching a tipping point around KHC’s turnaround story; that could accelerate repositioning but is not a clear buy/sell signal on its own. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Berkshire stake resale risk: filings and reporting show Berkshire Hathaway (now under new CEO Greg Abel) may offer up to ~325 million shares for resale — the prospect of a massive supply overhang has driven heavy selling pressure and pushed KHC to multi‑year lows. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and price‑target cuts amplified downside: Exane BNP Paribas moved to a negative/strong‑sell view, and JPMorgan trimmed its target and held a neutral stance — adding pressure to sentiment and limiting near‑term upside. Read More. | Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and coverage framed Berkshire’s move as a significant reputational hit (and a confirmation of prior concerns about Kraft Heinz’s competitive position), prompting some sell‑side and media narratives that reinforce outflows unless a large buyer or deal is announced. Read More.

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.