Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) Shares Gap Down – Here’s What Happened
by Scott Moore · The Cerbat GemKraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC – Get Free Report)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $24.90, but opened at $23.80. Kraft Heinz shares last traded at $25.0150, with a volume of 9,773,262 shares trading hands.
Kraft Heinz News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Kraft Heinz this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat consensus — KHC reported adjusted EPS of $0.67, beating estimates and showing better-than-expected profitability for the quarter. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Board approved regular quarterly dividend — KHC declared a $0.40 quarterly dividend, supporting income-focused investors and signaling confidence in near-term cash flow. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Management commits $600M to rebuild brands; CEO says challenges are “fixable” — new CEO Steve Cahillane is pausing the split to focus resources on marketing, sales and product development, which could help a turnaround if execution succeeds. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: Stronger U.S. jobs report — nonfarm payrolls surprised to the upside, which can support consumer spending over time but is a macro factor rather than company‑specific news. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance trimmed — KHC set FY‑2026 EPS guidance at $1.98–$2.10, below Street consensus, signaling slower near‑term earnings power and pressuring valuation. Press Release / Slide Deck
- Negative Sentiment: Top‑line weakness and volume declines — organic sales fell ~4.2% year‑over‑year and revenue slightly missed estimates, highlighting demand pressure and margin compression. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Pause of planned separation disappointed some investors — the halt to the split (previously expected to unlock value) triggered a negative reaction in premarket trading as analysts and activist investors reassess value‑creation prospects. Article Title
Analyst Ratings Changes
KHC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $26.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Zacks Research raised shares of Kraft Heinz from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Kraft Heinz in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, HSBC dropped their price target on Kraft Heinz from $29.00 to $27.00 in a report on Thursday, October 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kraft Heinz has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $26.16.
Kraft Heinz Trading Up 0.6%
The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company has a market cap of $29.66 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.71 and a beta of 0.08. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $24.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.37.
Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.06. Kraft Heinz had a negative net margin of 17.35% and a positive return on equity of 7.26%. The company had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.84 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Kraft Heinz has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.100 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Kraft Heinz Company will post 2.68 EPS for the current year.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, insider Miguel Patricio sold 125,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.82, for a total value of $3,102,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 686,817 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,046,797.94. This represents a 15.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kraft Heinz
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter worth about $332,382,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 75.1% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 13,694,483 shares of the company’s stock worth $351,263,000 after buying an additional 5,873,967 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 14.7% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 26,446,203 shares of the company’s stock worth $681,663,000 after buying an additional 3,392,470 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in Kraft Heinz by 1,645.9% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,880,281 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,549,000 after buying an additional 1,772,581 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. Can boosted its position in Kraft Heinz by 45.4% during the 2nd quarter. Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. Can now owns 4,884,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $126,056,000 after acquiring an additional 1,525,000 shares during the last quarter. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
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.