Exane BNP Paribas Downgrades Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) to Strong Sell

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) was downgraded by investment analysts at Exane BNP Paribas from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on KHC. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Kraft Heinz from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $28.00 to $27.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kraft Heinz from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Kraft Heinz from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kraft Heinz currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $26.16.

Kraft Heinz Stock Performance

NASDAQ KHC opened at $22.40 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $24.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.01 and a beta of 0.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Kraft Heinz has a 1 year low of $21.99 and a 1 year high of $33.35.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $6.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.27 billion. Kraft Heinz had a positive return on equity of 7.26% and a negative net margin of 17.35%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.75 earnings per share. Kraft Heinz has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.500-2.57 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Kraft Heinz will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Kraft Heinz

In other news, insider Miguel Patricio sold 125,000 shares of Kraft Heinz stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.82, for a total transaction of $3,102,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 686,817 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,046,797.94. The trade was a 15.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 172.4% in the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 1,245 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 788 shares during the last quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kraft Heinz by 256.7% in the third quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 1,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 914 shares during the period. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 164.7% in the second quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 1,297 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 807 shares during the last quarter. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Kraft Heinz during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Kraft Heinz during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 78.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kraft Heinz News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kraft Heinz this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Some commentators and value-oriented pieces highlight that the share-price weakness could present a buying opportunity for long-term investors given KHC’s stable brands and recent earnings beats. Is There Now An Opportunity In Kraft Heinz (KHC) After Prolonged Share Price Weakness
• Neutral Sentiment: Kraft Heinz has scheduled fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results for Feb. 11; management will host an analyst Q&A — this will be the next formal update that can change sentiment. The Kraft Heinz Company to Report Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results on Feb. 11, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan trimmed its price target to $24 and kept a neutral rating (target implies modest upside), reflecting more cautious near‑term growth expectations while not turning outright bearish. JPMorgan adjusts price target on Kraft Heinz to $24 from $25, maintains neutral rating
• Negative Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway filed paperwork indicating it may offer for resale its entire ~27.5% stake (about 325M shares), creating the immediate risk of large secondary supply that has pressured KHC shares. Berkshire may shed 27.5% Kraft Heinz stake, filing shows
• Negative Sentiment: News of Berkshire’s potential exit has driven KHC to multi-year lows as investors price in heightened supply and weakened confidence from the company’s once-prominent anchor investor. Kraft Heinz shares hit six-year low on Berkshire’s potential stake sale
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage from major outlets frames the move as a strategic break from Buffett’s era under new Berkshire CEO Greg Abel, intensifying investor concern that the selling could be large or drawn-out. Berkshire prepares to exit 28% stake in Kraft Heinz as new CEO aims to move on from rare Buffett gaffe
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts are reacting: at least one shop (BNP Paribas Exane) downgraded KHC to underperform and others trimmed targets, signaling reduced conviction on near-term growth. (Coverage summarized across multiple outlets.)
• Negative Sentiment: Analytical pieces (WSJ et al.) dig into why Berkshire put the stake on the block, reinforcing the narrative that Kraft Heinz struggled to meet long-term growth and margin expectations under prior ownership. Why Berkshire Put Its Kraft Stake on the Block

Kraft Heinz Company Profile

The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ: KHC) is a global food and beverage company formed in 2015 through the merger of Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz Company. The combination created one of the largest packaged-food companies in the world, built around well-known consumer brands. The merger was supported by major investors and established a multi-national platform for branded food products.

Kraft Heinz develops, manufactures, markets and distributes a broad portfolio of branded packaged foods and condiments.