Mizuho Securities USA LLC Boosts Holdings in The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its stake in The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) by 46.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 83,660 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 26,426 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Kraft Heinz were worth $2,569,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sawyer & Company Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new stake in Kraft Heinz in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Kraft Heinz by 191.0% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 969 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 636 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Kraft Heinz during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Kraft Heinz Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of KHC opened at $29.12 on Tuesday. The Kraft Heinz Company has a twelve month low of $27.25 and a twelve month high of $38.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.89, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.40. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $29.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.85.

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, topping 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%. On average, research analysts predict that The Kraft Heinz Company will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kraft Heinz Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.49%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio is currently 70.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on KHC. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research note on Monday. They set an “underweight” rating and a $29.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI reiterated an “in-line” rating and issued a $35.00 target price (down from $38.00) on shares of Kraft Heinz in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Kraft Heinz from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Mizuho lowered shares of Kraft Heinz from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $38.00 to $31.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kraft Heinz currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.73.

Kraft Heinz 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.