Vanguard Group Inc. Has $2.78 Billion Holdings in The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC)

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) by 19.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 90,508,763 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,996,486 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.07% of Kraft Heinz worth $2,779,524,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LPL Financial LLC raised its position in Kraft Heinz by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 655,747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,138,000 after buying an additional 50,040 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter valued at about $9,755,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 29.0% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 922,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,318,000 after purchasing an additional 207,516 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 46.2% during the fourth quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 83,660 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,569,000 after purchasing an additional 26,426 shares during the period. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the fourth quarter worth approximately $6,134,000. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kraft Heinz Stock Performance

KHC opened at $29.10 on Wednesday. The Kraft Heinz Company has a 12-month low of $27.25 and a 12-month high of $38.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.40. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $29.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.06. Kraft Heinz had a net margin of 10.62% and a return on equity of 7.58%. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Kraft Heinz Company will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.50%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup downgraded shares of Kraft Heinz from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $34.00 to $28.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Mizuho cut Kraft Heinz from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $38.00 to $31.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Kraft Heinz from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Kraft Heinz from $35.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $31.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.73.

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.