Investors Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC)

The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock investors bought 35,699 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 44% compared to the typical daily volume of 24,854 call options.

Kraft Heinz Stock Up 2.9 %

KHC stock opened at $32.18 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $29.85 and its 200 day moving average is $32.31. The stock has a market cap of $38.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Kraft Heinz has a 1-year low of $27.25 and a 1-year high of $38.96.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.84 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Kraft Heinz will post 2.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kraft Heinz

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Aegis Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Kraft Heinz in the 4th quarter worth $244,000. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH increased its holdings in shares of Kraft Heinz by 192.9% in the fourth quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 62,499 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,871,000 after buying an additional 41,163 shares during the period. QSM Asset Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz in the 4th quarter valued at about $7,135,000. Menard Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Menard Financial Group LLC now owns 11,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $353,000 after acquiring an additional 571 shares during the period. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,930,000. 78.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on KHC shares. Evercore ISI restated an “in-line” rating and issued a $35.00 price objective (down from $38.00) on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of 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. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com lowered Kraft Heinz from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kraft Heinz currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.86.

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.