Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Makes New Investment in Kraft Heinz Company $KHC

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co acquired a new stake in Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 494,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,678,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 1st quarter worth about $207,000. Woodline Partners LP raised its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 39.0% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 73,700 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,243,000 after buying an additional 20,690 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 16.6% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 51,222 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,323,000 after buying an additional 7,307 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 0.8% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 522,147 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,482,000 after buying an additional 4,003 shares during the period. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Kraft Heinz during the second quarter worth approximately $207,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company's stock.

Kraft Heinz News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Investment in key brands is showing early signs of improving market share, with volumes and earnings expected to recover in 2027 as spending initiatives gain traction. Emerging Markets are a notable growth driver, posting 8.5% organic sales growth and offering long-term expansion potential. The stock’s valuation is also viewed as reasonable. Kraft Heinz: Early Signs Of Turnaround Gaining Traction And Reasonable Valuation
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2027 EPS forecast to $2.09 from $2.04, and increased estimates for Q2 and Q3 2027 and Q4 2027. These revisions support the view that current investments could produce better profitability beyond 2026. Kraft Heinz analyst estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: The FY2026 EPS forecast now stands at $2.06, matching consensus but below Zacks’ previous $2.08 estimate. FY2028 EPS is projected at $2.14, slightly below the prior $2.15 forecast, suggesting modest long-term revisions rather than a broad earnings reset.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered Q3 2026 EPS to $0.43 from $0.47, cut Q4 2026 EPS to $0.49 from $0.50, and reduced Q1 2027 EPS to $0.52 from $0.53. The revisions reflect expected pressure from higher brand investment and indicate that the turnaround may weigh on earnings before benefits appear.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on KHC. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on Kraft Heinz from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. UBS Group increased their target price on Kraft Heinz from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Kraft Heinz from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Evercore set a $24.00 price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Kraft Heinz from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Kraft Heinz currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $23.62.

Kraft Heinz Stock Performance

NASDAQ KHC opened at $25.58 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.94 and a beta of 0.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 1.06. Kraft Heinz Company has a one year low of $21.03 and a one year high of $28.10. The company's 50 day moving average price is $24.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.89.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.03. Kraft Heinz had a negative net margin of 13.64% and a positive return on equity of 7.10%. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. Kraft Heinz's revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Kraft Heinz has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.030-2.090 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Kraft Heinz Company will post 2.06 EPS for the current year.

Kraft Heinz Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, September 4th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. Kraft Heinz's dividend payout ratio is currently -55.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kraft Heinz news, insider Diana Frost sold 18,502 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.05, for a total transaction of $426,471.10. Following the transaction, the insider owned 102,667 shares in the company, valued at $2,366,474.35. The trade was a 15.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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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