The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) Position Lowered by Man Group plc

Man Group plc trimmed its position in shares of The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC - Free Report) by 11.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 287,368 shares of the company's stock after selling 36,920 shares during the quarter. Man Group plc's holdings in Kraft Heinz were worth $8,825,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KHC. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new stake in Kraft Heinz during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Kennondale Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Kraft Heinz in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 78.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kraft Heinz Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of KHC stock traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $26.50. The company had a trading volume of 16,278,772 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,355,850. The company has a market capitalization of $31.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06. The Kraft Heinz Company has a twelve month low of $26.19 and a twelve month high of $36.53. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $29.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.07.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. Kraft Heinz had a net margin of 10.62% and a return on equity of 7.58%. The company had revenue of $6 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.69 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Kraft Heinz Company will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.04%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Kraft Heinz's payout ratio is 73.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Kraft Heinz from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of Kraft Heinz from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $34.00 to $31.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Kraft Heinz in a report on Monday, March 24th. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $29.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kraft Heinz presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $30.65.

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.