Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Reduce" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have assigned a consensus rating of "Reduce" from 21 brokerages — 6 sell, 14 hold and 1 strong buy — with an average 12‑month price target of $24.78 and several recent price-target cuts.
• Kraft Heinz beat Q results on EPS ($0.67 vs. $0.61) but reported revenue of $6.35B and a negative net margin of 23.44%; management set FY2026 guidance of 1.98–2.10 EPS versus analyst expectations near 2.68.
• Shares trade near a 52‑week low (~$21.72) and carry a 7.4% dividend yield (ex‑dividend March 6) as the company pursues an NFL partnership and a ~$600M product push amid ongoing structural headwinds from private‑label competition.

Shares of Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Reduce" from the twenty-one brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fourteen have assigned a hold recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $24.7778.

Several research firms recently weighed in on KHC. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Evercore lowered their target price on Kraft Heinz from $25.00 to $22.00 in a report on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Mizuho cut their price target on Kraft Heinz from $27.00 to $25.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th.

Insider Activity at Kraft Heinz

In other news, insider Cory Onell sold 4,991 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.34, for a total value of $121,480.94. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 197,463 shares in the company, valued at $4,806,249.42. This represents a 2.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in Kraft Heinz by 15.5% during the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 3,219 shares of the company's stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 431 shares in the last quarter. Graney & King LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 20.5% in the fourth quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 2,560 shares of the company's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 14,892 shares of the company's stock valued at $361,000 after acquiring an additional 458 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 13.4% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,894 shares of the company's stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 460 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 29,623 shares of the company's stock valued at $718,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kraft Heinz Stock Performance

Shares of KHC opened at $21.76 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 has a 52-week low of $21.72 and a 52-week high of $31.15. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $23.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.69. The company has a market capitalization of $25.76 billion, a PE ratio of -4.40 and a beta of 0.06.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.38 billion. Kraft Heinz had a negative net margin of 23.44% and a positive return on equity of 7.07%. The firm's revenue was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.84 earnings per share. Kraft Heinz has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.100 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Kraft Heinz 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, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.4%. Kraft Heinz's payout ratio is presently -32.39%.

Key Stories Impacting Kraft Heinz

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kraft Heinz struck a five‑year global partnership with the NFL to be the league's first-ever condiment partner — a high-visibility marketing play intended to drive game‑day consumption, boost brand relevance and expand foodservice reach. Kraft Heinz Inks Breakthrough Deal With National Football League as First-Ever Condiment Partner
• Positive Sentiment: The company is rolling out innovation (e.g., high-protein PowerMac, expanded Lunchables and Capri Sun SKUs) as part of a roughly $600M growth push to win back consumers and address demand for better‑for‑you convenience foods. Product launches could support top-line recovery if they gain traction. Kraft Heinz Unveils New Products in $600 Million Growth Push
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports indicate Kraft Heinz and Unilever held talks about combining parts of their food businesses; those discussions have now ended. The news fuels M&A speculation but currently offers no concrete strategic or financial upside. Unilever, Kraft Heinz held talks to merge food business and condiments division, FT reports
• Negative Sentiment: Shares hit a 52‑week low amid the selling pressure, signaling weak near‑term sentiment and making the stock more vulnerable to further downside on disappointing updates. Kraft Heinz stock hits 52-week low at 21.98 USD
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst and market commentary warn of structural challenges: loss of consumers to private‑label/store brands, secular demand weakness in shelf‑stable foods, and margin/volume pressure — themes that could keep multiple expansion limited. Ketchup Or Catch-Down? Kraft Heinz Is Racing Against Structural Decline
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction has been broad: headlines note the stock declining more than the market and sector peers also facing weak demand, reinforcing investor caution around near‑term earnings and growth visibility. Kraft Heinz (KHC) Declines More Than Market: Some Information for Investors

Kraft Heinz Company Profile

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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