Jefferies Financial Group Has Lowered Expectations for Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) Stock Price

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group has decreased its price target for Kraft Heinz from $28.00 to $24.00, suggesting a potential downside of 5.25% from the current stock price.
• Despite the lowered price target, Kraft Heinz has received a mix of ratings from other analysts, with one Strong Buy rating, sixteen Hold ratings, and three Sell ratings.
• As of the latest report, Kraft Heinz's stock was priced at $25.33, with a significant market cap of $29.98 billion and varied institutional investor activity, including a notable increase from Vanguard Group Inc.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC - Get Free Report) had its price target reduced by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from $28.00 to $24.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a "hold" rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group's target price points to a potential downside of 5.25% from the stock's current price.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on KHC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $27.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Kraft Heinz in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Kraft Heinz to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Kraft Heinz from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their target price for the company from $25.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $28.65.

Kraft Heinz Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:KHC opened at $25.33 on Wednesday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $26.63 and its 200 day moving average is $27.33. The company has a market cap of $29.98 billion, a PE ratio of -5.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.66. Kraft Heinz has a 1 year low of $24.80 and a 1 year high of $36.31.

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

Insider Transactions at Kraft Heinz

In other news, Director Elio Leoni Sceti sold 25,000 shares of the company'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 value of $697,750.00. Following 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kraft Heinz

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised 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. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Kraft Heinz in the 2nd quarter worth about $276,159,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in Kraft Heinz by 4,390.7% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 7,444,062 shares of the company's stock worth $226,523,000 after buying an additional 7,278,295 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Kraft Heinz by 14.7% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 26,446,203 shares of the company's stock valued at $681,663,000 after acquiring an additional 3,392,470 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 1st quarter valued at about $61,110,000. 78.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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