Criteria Caixa S.A.U. Cuts Stake in Kraft Heinz Company $KHC

Key Points

• Criteria Caixa S.A.U. reduced its stake in Kraft Heinz Company by 22.1%, holding approximately 1.86 million shares valued at around $47.99 million after selling 528,716 shares in Q2.
• Other institutional investors, including Vanguard Group and UBS AM, have increased their positions in Kraft Heinz during the same period, highlighting significant interest in the company.
• Kraft Heinz recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 6.4%, despite facing a negative net margin of 20.83% in its latest earnings report.

Criteria Caixa S.A.U. lessened its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC - Free Report) by 22.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,858,659 shares of the company's stock after selling 528,716 shares during the quarter. Kraft Heinz comprises 5.2% of Criteria Caixa S.A.U.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Criteria Caixa S.A.U. owned about 0.16% of Kraft Heinz worth $47,991,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 12.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 101,980,834 shares of the company's stock worth $3,103,277,000 after purchasing an additional 11,472,071 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in Kraft Heinz by 22.1% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 10,480,889 shares of the company's stock valued at $318,933,000 after acquiring an additional 1,895,722 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Kraft Heinz by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,171,720 shares of the company's stock valued at $248,665,000 after purchasing an additional 103,548 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 4,390.7% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 7,444,062 shares of the company's stock worth $226,523,000 after purchasing an additional 7,278,295 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 5.4% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,875,177 shares of the company's stock worth $209,201,000 after purchasing an additional 350,067 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.17% of the company's stock.

Kraft Heinz Price Performance

Kraft Heinz stock opened at $25.15 on Friday. Kraft Heinz Company has a 52 week low of $24.85 and a 52 week high of $36.31. The company's 50 day moving average price is $26.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $29.77 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.16.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 8th. The company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter. Kraft Heinz had a negative net margin of 20.83% and a positive return on equity of 7.40%. The firm had revenue of $6.39 billion for the quarter. On average, equities analysts predict that Kraft Heinz Company will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 29th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.4%. Kraft Heinz's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -35.63%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Elio Leoni Sceti sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.91, for a total transaction of $697,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 40,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,116,400. This trade represents a 38.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on KHC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Kraft Heinz in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $27.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research note on Wednesday. DZ Bank raised Kraft Heinz from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $29.00 to $26.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kraft Heinz currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $29.53.

Kraft Heinz Company Profile

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.

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