DZ Bank Downgrades Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) to Hold

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at DZ Bank from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $31.00 target price on the stock. DZ Bank's price target would indicate a potential upside of 10.12% from the company's previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on KHC. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Kraft Heinz from $32.00 to $28.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut Kraft Heinz from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $34.00 to $31.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Barclays reduced their price target on Kraft Heinz from $33.00 to $29.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Kraft Heinz from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Kraft Heinz from $31.00 to $30.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Kraft Heinz presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $30.65.

Kraft Heinz Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ KHC traded up $0.08 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $28.15. 16,318,384 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,166,606. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Kraft Heinz has a twelve month low of $27.25 and a twelve month high of $36.70. The company has a market cap of $33.32 billion, a PE ratio of 12.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.30. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $29.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $30.38.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $6 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.02 billion. Kraft Heinz had a return on equity of 7.58% and a net margin of 10.62%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.69 EPS. Research analysts predict that Kraft Heinz will post 2.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Kraft Heinz

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 19.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 90,508,763 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,779,524,000 after purchasing an additional 14,996,486 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz during the fourth quarter valued at about $324,857,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 4,390.7% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 7,444,062 shares of the company's stock valued at $226,523,000 after purchasing an additional 7,278,295 shares during the period. Southeastern Asset Management Inc. TN acquired a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz during the fourth quarter valued at about $87,080,000. Finally, Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. Can raised its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 341.9% during the fourth quarter. Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. Can now owns 3,314,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $101,773,000 after purchasing an additional 2,564,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.17% of the company's stock.

About Kraft Heinz

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.