Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC)
by Michael Walen · The Markets DailyKraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC – Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 70,395 call options on the company. This is an increase of 154% compared to the typical daily volume of 27,726 call options.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research firms have recently commented on KHC. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $21.00 target price on Kraft Heinz in a research note on Wednesday. BTIG Research began coverage on Kraft Heinz in a research note on Monday, April 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Mizuho cut their target price on Kraft Heinz from $27.00 to $25.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Kraft Heinz from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their target price on Kraft Heinz from $24.00 to $20.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $22.69.
Get Our Latest Research Report on KHC
Kraft Heinz Stock Performance
Shares of NASDAQ:KHC traded down $0.64 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $22.69. 11,287,387 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 15,700,782. The company has a market cap of $26.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.67 and a beta of 0.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 1.20. Kraft Heinz has a one year low of $21.03 and a one year high of $29.19. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $22.80 and a 200 day moving average of $23.68.
Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $6.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.89 billion. Kraft Heinz had a positive return on equity of 7.26% and a negative net margin of 23.05%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.62 earnings per share. Kraft Heinz has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.100 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Kraft Heinz will post 2.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio is presently -32.92%.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Graney & King LLC lifted its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 20.5% in the fourth quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 2,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in 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 during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 13.4% in 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 period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 1.7% in 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 period. Finally, New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 70.2% in the fourth quarter. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 511 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.
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.