Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) Rating Lowered to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Kraft Heinz from “buy” to “hold.” The broader analyst consensus is “Reduce,” with 12 hold ratings, five sell ratings and a consensus price target of $23.62.
• Kraft Heinz reported quarterly EPS of $0.56 and revenue of $6.26 billion, exceeding analyst estimates, while maintaining its fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS guidance of $2.03–$2.09.
• Despite the earnings beat and signs of improving consumption trends, weak organic sales, higher marketing costs and a roughly $7.4 billion impairment charge continue to weigh on the company’s turnaround outlook.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Kraft Heinz from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday. Evercore set a $24.00 target price on shares of Kraft Heinz in a report on Thursday. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Kraft Heinz from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $23.62.

Kraft Heinz Stock Up 1.4%

Kraft Heinz stock opened at $25.32 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $24.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.76. Kraft Heinz has a 1-year low of $21.03 and a 1-year high of $28.10. The company has a market cap of $30.02 billion, a PE ratio of -8.85 and a beta of 0.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

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 positive return on equity of 7.10% and a negative net margin of 13.64%.The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.18 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.69 earnings per share. Kraft Heinz's revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Kraft Heinz has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.030-2.090 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Kraft Heinz will post 2.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Kraft Heinz

In related news, insider Diana Frost sold 18,502 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.05, for a total value of $426,471.10. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 102,667 shares in the company, valued at $2,366,474.35. The trade was a 15.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kraft Heinz

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Jessup Wealth Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in Kraft Heinz in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Key Capital Management INC purchased a new stake in Kraft Heinz in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company's stock.

Key Kraft Heinz News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results exceeded expectations: Kraft Heinz reported Q2 sales of approximately $6.26 billion and adjusted EPS of $0.56, ahead of consensus estimates of $6.18 billion and $0.53, respectively. The company also maintained its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook of $2.03–$2.09. Kraft Heinz Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates Despite Organic Sales Dip
• Positive Sentiment: Early signs of stabilization are encouraging: Management said consumption trends and market share are improving, with losses narrowing to 30 basis points. Kraft Heinz plans to add $100 million in second-half marketing investment to support brand momentum and pursue volume-led growth in 2027. KHC Q2 Earnings Call Raises Brand Spending on Early Traction
• Positive Sentiment: Credit outlook improved: JPMorgan upgraded Kraft Heinz’s credit recommendation to Overweight, citing better results, disciplined balance-sheet management and confidence that the company can fund brand investment while controlling leverage. JPMorgan Upgrades Kraft Heinz Credit to Overweight
• Neutral Sentiment: Income support remains intact: Kraft Heinz declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, preserving an annualized payout of $1.60. The high yield may attract income investors, although it also reflects concerns about the company’s growth and valuation. 3 Big Dividends and One Case Study in How a Yield Trap Ends
• Negative Sentiment: Headline results were severely distorted: Kraft Heinz posted a net loss of roughly $5.46 billion, primarily because of goodwill and intangible-asset impairment charges totaling about $7.4 billion. Although noncash, the write-down highlights weaker expectations for certain brands and weighs on confidence. Kraft Heinz Is Down After Massive Impairment-Fueled Loss
• Negative Sentiment: Turnaround costs and weak demand remain risks: Organic sales declined, while inflation, lower volumes and increased marketing and innovation spending are expected to make 2026 the company’s margin trough. Analysts therefore characterize the recovery as promising but cautious rather than established. Kraft Heinz Earnings Call Signals Cautious Turnaround

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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