Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) Sets New 12-Month Low After Analyst Downgrade

Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday after Exane BNP Paribas downgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong sell rating. The stock traded as low as $22.00 and last traded at $22.3230, with a volume of 1082368 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $23.76.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Kraft Heinz from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Kraft Heinz from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lowered shares of Kraft Heinz from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $22.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $26.16.

Insider Activity at Kraft Heinz

In other news, insider Miguel Patricio sold 125,000 shares of Kraft Heinz stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.82, for a total value of $3,102,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Kraft Heinz News Summary

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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kraft Heinz

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 172.4% in the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 1,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 788 shares during the last quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. increased its position in Kraft Heinz by 164.7% in the second quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 1,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 807 shares during the period. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Kraft Heinz by 256.7% in the third quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 1,270 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 914 shares during the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz during the third quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz during the second quarter worth about $39,000. 78.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kraft Heinz Stock Up 1.4%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $24.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.73. The firm has a market cap of $26.89 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.09 and a beta of 0.09.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.04. Kraft Heinz had a negative net margin of 17.35% and a positive return on equity of 7.26%. The firm had revenue of $6.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.75 EPS. Kraft Heinz’s revenue was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Kraft Heinz has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.500-2.57 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Kraft Heinz Company will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Kraft Heinz Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio is -42.90%.

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.