Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) Shares Down 5.7%

The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC - Get Free Report)'s stock price fell 5.7% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $36.22 and last traded at $36.41. 1,538,862 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 7,948,077 shares. The stock had previously closed at $38.61.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $43.00 price target on the stock. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $40.57.

Kraft Heinz Trading Down 6.0 %

The stock has a market cap of $44.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.99. The stock's fifty day moving average is $36.34 and its 200 day moving average is $35.71.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.01. Kraft Heinz had a return on equity of 7.42% and a net margin of 10.72%. The business had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.99 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.85 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Kraft Heinz Company will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 6th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.41%. Kraft Heinz's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.26%.

Institutional Trading of Kraft Heinz

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 346.9% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,520,006 shares of the company's stock worth $57,799,000 after purchasing an additional 1,179,863 shares during the last quarter. Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. increased its stake in Kraft Heinz by 10.2% in the 1st quarter. Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. now owns 15,271 shares of the company's stock worth $564,000 after buying an additional 1,414 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC bought a new stake in Kraft Heinz during the 1st quarter valued at about $331,000. LifePlan Financial LLC boosted its position in Kraft Heinz by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. LifePlan Financial LLC now owns 35,383 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,306,000 after buying an additional 1,748 shares during the period. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Kraft Heinz by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,699 shares of the company's stock worth $469,000 after acquiring an additional 1,069 shares in 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.