KBC Group NV Increases Stock Holdings in Kraft Heinz Company $KHC

Key Points

• KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Kraft Heinz by 322% in Q4, buying 699,290 shares to hold 916,485 shares worth $22.22 million (about 0.08% of the company).
• Wall Street has grown cautious—multiple firms cut targets and ratings, leaving a MarketBeat consensus of "Reduce" with an average target price of $23.53 (1 Strong Buy, 14 Hold, 5 Sell).
• Kraft Heinz beat Q4 EPS estimates ($0.67 vs. $0.61) but saw revenue fall 3.4% year-over-year and a negative net margin of 23.44%; it also pays a $0.40 quarterly dividend, a 7.1% yield.

KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC - Free Report) by 322.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 916,485 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 699,290 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned 0.08% of Kraft Heinz worth $22,224,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 15.5% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 3,219 shares of the company's stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 431 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 14,892 shares of the company's stock valued at $361,000 after buying an additional 458 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 13.4% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,894 shares of the company's stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 460 shares during the period. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 22.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 2,700 shares of the company's stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Finally, Personal CFO Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 13,237 shares of the company's stock valued at $321,000 after buying an additional 561 shares during the period. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KHC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Kraft Heinz from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 30th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Kraft Heinz from $24.00 to $20.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underweight" rating and set a $23.00 target price on shares of Kraft Heinz in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Zacks Research downgraded Kraft Heinz from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, BTIG Research started coverage on Kraft Heinz in a report on Monday. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $23.53.

Kraft Heinz Price Performance

KHC stock opened at $22.47 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Kraft Heinz Company has a 52-week low of $21.03 and a 52-week high of $30.42. The stock's 50 day moving average is $23.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.10. The company has a market capitalization of $26.64 billion, a PE ratio of -4.55 and a beta of 0.07.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.06. Kraft Heinz had a positive return on equity of 7.07% and a negative net margin of 23.44%.The company had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.84 EPS. Kraft Heinz's revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Kraft Heinz has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.100 EPS. Analysts predict that Kraft Heinz Company will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.1%. Kraft Heinz's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -32.39%.

Insider Activity at Kraft Heinz

In other news, insider Cory Onell sold 9,045 shares of Kraft Heinz stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.61, for a total value of $222,597.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 202,454 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,982,392.94. This trade represents a 4.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

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.

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