The Kraft Heinz Company to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.40 (NASDAQ:KHC)

The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 12th,RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of 0.40 per share on Friday, March 28th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.58%.

Kraft Heinz has a payout ratio of 50.2% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Kraft Heinz to earn $3.02 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 53.0%.

Kraft Heinz Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KHC traded down $0.92 on Wednesday, reaching $28.67. 11,307,709 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,472,510. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.66 billion, a PE ratio of 25.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.56. The company’s 50 day moving average is $30.02 and its 200-day moving average is $32.83. Kraft Heinz has a fifty-two week low of $27.25 and a fifty-two week high of $38.96.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.06. Kraft Heinz had a return on equity of 7.46% and a net margin of 5.24%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Kraft Heinz will post 3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on KHC shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Kraft Heinz from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $39.00 to $35.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Kraft Heinz from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays decreased their target price on Kraft Heinz from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Kraft Heinz from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI reissued an “in-line” rating and issued a $35.00 price target (down from $38.00) on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.36.

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.