Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Boosts Holdings in Kraft Heinz Company $KHC

Key Points

• The Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund recently increased its holdings in Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) by 4.5%, owning approximately $10.42 million worth of shares after acquiring an additional 14,600 shares in the first quarter.
• Analysts have varied opinions on Kraft Heinz, with Goldman Sachs upgrading the stock from "sell" to "neutral" and adjusting its price target to $27.00, while others have shifted their targets lower.
• Kraft Heinz has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, with shareholders of record set to receive this payment, indicating a 5.8% dividend yield.

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its position in shares of Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 342,540 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,600 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund's holdings in Kraft Heinz were worth $10,423,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 12.7% in the first 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 during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Kraft Heinz by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,289,691 shares of the company's stock valued at $285,286,000 after acquiring an additional 1,039,885 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Kraft Heinz by 23.4% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,585,167 shares of the company's stock valued at $263,650,000 after acquiring an additional 1,628,516 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Kraft Heinz by 1.3% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,171,720 shares of the company's stock valued at $248,665,000 after acquiring an additional 103,548 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Kraft Heinz by 4,390.7% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 7,444,062 shares of the company's stock valued at $226,523,000 after acquiring an additional 7,278,295 shares during the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kraft Heinz Stock Down 1.4%

Kraft Heinz stock traded down $0.40 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $27.27. The stock had a trading volume of 7,898,079 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,447,239. 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's 50-day moving average price is $27.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $28.38. Kraft Heinz Company has a 12-month low of $25.44 and a 12-month high of $36.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.28 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.23.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.05. Kraft Heinz had a negative net margin of 20.83% and a positive return on equity of 7.40%. The business had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Kraft Heinz Company will post 2.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. Kraft Heinz's dividend payout ratio is -35.63%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Elio Leoni Sceti sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director owned 40,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,116,400. This represents a 38.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Kraft Heinz to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Mizuho set a $29.00 target price on shares of Kraft Heinz and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Kraft Heinz from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $25.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kraft Heinz presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $30.35.

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.