Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Boosts Stock Position in The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC)

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. raised its position in The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) by 121.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 81,327 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 44,642 shares during the quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in Kraft Heinz were worth $2,498,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of KHC. Sawyer & Company Inc acquired a new position in Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kraft Heinz in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 191.0% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 969 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 636 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Kraft Heinz in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 78.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on KHC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays cut their price target on Kraft Heinz from $33.00 to $29.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $32.00 to $28.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Kraft Heinz from $31.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “in-line” rating and issued a $35.00 price target (down from $38.00) on shares of Kraft Heinz in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kraft Heinz currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.86.

Kraft Heinz Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ KHC opened at $29.71 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $29.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $32.00. The company has a market capitalization of $35.50 billion, a PE ratio of 13.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.40. The Kraft Heinz Company has a 12-month low of $27.25 and a 12-month high of $38.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

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

Kraft Heinz Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.39%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Kraft Heinz’s payout ratio is 70.80%.

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.