Kraft Heinz Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:KHC)

Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders bought 72,473 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 158% compared to the typical volume of 28,131 call options.

Insider Activity at Kraft Heinz

In related news, insider Miguel Patricio sold 125,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.82, for a total transaction of $3,102,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 686,817 shares in the company, valued at $17,046,797.94. This represents a 15.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kraft Heinz

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KHC. Shell Asset Management Co. grew its position in Kraft Heinz by 89.7% during the second quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 90,450 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,335,000 after acquiring an additional 42,758 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR lifted its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 192.4% in the 3rd quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 81,260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,116,000 after purchasing an additional 53,467 shares in the last quarter. Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. Can grew its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 45.4% during the 2nd quarter. Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. Can now owns 4,884,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $126,056,000 after purchasing an additional 1,525,000 shares during the period. Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. increased its position in Kraft Heinz by 39.8% during the 2nd quarter. Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. now owns 37,050 shares of the company’s stock worth $957,000 after purchasing an additional 10,551 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp purchased a new position in Kraft Heinz in the third quarter valued at approximately $4,678,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Kraft Heinz Stock Performance

NASDAQ:KHC opened at $23.20 on Friday. Kraft Heinz has a 12 month low of $21.99 and a 12 month high of $33.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.46 billion, a PE ratio of -6.22 and a beta of 0.09. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $24.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.71.

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

Kraft Heinz Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.9%. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio is presently -42.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Kraft Heinz from $29.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Kraft Heinz from $28.00 to $25.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Barclays cut 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 research note on Thursday, October 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $27.00 to $26.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, HSBC cut their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $26.16.

Kraft Heinz News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call-option volume — Traders bought roughly 72,473 call options in a single session, a ~158% jump versus average daily call volume, suggesting speculative or hedged bullish positioning that can lift near-term demand for the shares. Options Activity Report
• Positive Sentiment: Short-term market beat — Coverage noting the stock “lapped the market” points to modest positive momentum in recent sessions, which can attract momentum traders after the sell-off. KHC Laps the Market
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional pressure/ownership changes — Analysis pieces argue institutional holders may be at a “tipping point” and discuss implications if big holders shift strategy; useful context but not immediate catalysts on their own. Institutional Investors Tipping Point
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis on Berkshire’s role — Articles examining whether Berkshire is “out of the equation” provide strategic context for valuation and buyout/speculation narratives; they inform longer-term investor views rather than cause immediate price moves. Berkshire May Be Out Of The Equation
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade by Exane/BNP Paribas — The firm cut KHC to an underperform/strong-sell view, a catalyst for selling pressure and weaker sentiment among income/value managers. Rating Lowered to Underperform at BNP Paribas Exane
• Negative Sentiment: Pessimistic JPMorgan forecast — JPMorgan published a downbeat outlook for KHC’s stock price, adding to analyst-driven headwinds and reinforcing downside expectations. JPMorgan Issues Pessimistic Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Berkshire stake sale and share-price impact — Reports that Berkshire may sell a large stake (and related coverage that Buffett’s successor is moving on the position) have driven a sharp decline and pushed shares to multi‑year lows, a major negative fundamental/headline catalyst. Shares Hit Six-Year Low on Berkshire’s Potential Stake Sale

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.