Advisors Asset Management Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) by 137.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 129,424 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 74,910 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Kraft Heinz were worth $3,975,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in Kraft Heinz by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 55,155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,708,000 after acquiring an additional 2,527 shares in the last quarter. Kennondale Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Kraft Heinz during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Cibc World Markets Corp grew its stake in Kraft Heinz by 13.8% during the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 374,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,491,000 after acquiring an additional 45,310 shares in the last quarter. one8zero8 LLC purchased a new position in Kraft Heinz during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $232,000. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Kraft Heinz by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. now owns 153,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,726,000 after acquiring an additional 12,930 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Kraft Heinz Trading Down 0.6 %

NASDAQ:KHC opened at $29.71 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $29.90 and a 200 day moving average of $32.00. The Kraft Heinz Company has a 52 week low of $27.25 and a 52 week high of $38.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.40.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 10.62% and a return on equity of 7.58%. On average, research analysts predict that The Kraft Heinz Company will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.39%. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio is currently 70.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KHC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Kraft Heinz from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Kraft Heinz from $32.00 to $28.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Mizuho cut shares of Kraft Heinz from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $38.00 to $31.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Kraft Heinz from $31.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Bank of America cut shares of Kraft Heinz from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $36.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.86.

Kraft Heinz Company Profile

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.