Kraft Heinz Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:KHC)

Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors acquired 42,885 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 77% compared to the average volume of 24,241 call options.

Kraft Heinz Price Performance

Shares of Kraft Heinz stock traded up $0.66 on Monday, hitting $27.80. 37,255,006 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,484,140. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.68. Kraft Heinz has a 52 week low of $25.44 and a 52 week high of $36.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.31.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.02. Kraft Heinz had a net margin of 10.44% and a return on equity of 7.37%. The company had revenue of $6 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.69 earnings per share. Kraft Heinz's quarterly revenue was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Kraft Heinz will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.76%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. Kraft Heinz's dividend payout ratio is presently 73.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on KHC shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Kraft Heinz from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "sell" rating and set a $27.00 price target (down previously from $28.00) on shares of Kraft Heinz in a report on Friday, April 4th. Cfra Research downgraded shares of Kraft Heinz from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Kraft Heinz from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $25.00 to $27.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Mizuho set a $29.00 price target on shares of Kraft Heinz and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kraft Heinz presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $30.41.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kraft Heinz

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KHC. Hara Capital LLC increased its position in Kraft Heinz by 61.9% in the fourth quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 1,700 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Kraft Heinz during the fourth quarter valued at $2,482,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Kraft Heinz during the fourth quarter valued at $39,339,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in Kraft Heinz by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 207,634 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,376,000 after acquiring an additional 6,697 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in Kraft Heinz by 390,350.0% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 7,809 shares of the company's stock valued at $240,000 after acquiring an additional 7,807 shares during the last quarter. 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.