Kraft Heinz has replaced the president of its business in North America with a former Kellanova executive joining his former boss at the US group. Nico Amaya will take on the role next week, succeeding Pedro Navio. Across two decades, Amaya worked for the then Kellogg Co. and Kellanova, where he worked with Kraft Heinz CEO Steve Cahillane for eight years. Cahillane, the former Kellogg and Kellanova CEO, joined Kraft Heinz as chief executive last month. “Nico is a proven leader with deep experience driv ...

Core Viewpoint - Kraft Heinz is facing significant challenges, including a declining portfolio and a need for strategic restructuring to return to growth, as indicated by the recent decision to pause the planned separation of its business units [4][5][21]. Financial Performance - Kraft Heinz's shares have decreased by 19% over the past year and 37% over the last five years, with annual sales volumes not increasing since a 3.4% rise in 2020, and a reported 4.1% decline in the latest results [1][5]. - The company is forecasting a further decline in organic growth of between -1.5% to -3.5% for the upcoming year, following a 3.4% drop in 2025 and a 2.1% decline in the previous 12 months [7][8]. Strategic Decisions - CEO Steve Cahillane has emphasized the priority of returning the business to profitable growth and has backtracked on the previous proposal to split the company, focusing instead on fixing the core issues [5][12]. - The planned separation of Kraft Heinz into two standalone businesses has been postponed, with the decision supported by the board, as the current market conditions are deemed unfavorable for such a split [4][21]. Investment and Growth Plans - Cahillane plans to invest $600 million into marketing, sales, and R&D to drive recovery and improve the company's performance, despite expectations of a 14-18% decrease in adjusted operating income [8][20]. - The company aims to align its brands and products with consumer preferences to enhance growth potential and improve market share, particularly in the North American Grocery segment [9][17]. Market Challenges - The external environment has become increasingly challenging, with worsening consumer sentiment and softening industry trends, complicating the path to recovery for Kraft Heinz [17][22]. - Analysts have expressed skepticism about the company's ability to operate successfully as standalone entities, indicating that the current portfolio may not be strong enough to support such a separation [18][23].

Core Viewpoint - The article reveals the portfolio adjustments made by Berkshire Hathaway during Warren Buffett's last quarter as CEO, highlighting a shift in holdings with reductions in technology stocks and increases in energy, consumer, and financial sectors [2][4]. Group 1: Overall Portfolio Changes - As of the end of Q4 2025, Berkshire's total portfolio size increased to $274 billion from $267 billion in the previous quarter, with the top ten holdings accounting for 88.26% of the portfolio [2]. - The top ten holdings remained unchanged in terms of companies, but there were slight adjustments in their rankings [2]. Group 2: Major Stock Adjustments - Berkshire reduced its stake in Apple by over 10.29 million shares, a decrease of 4.32%, marking the third consecutive quarter of reduction, with a market value decline of approximately $2.8 billion [4][7]. - A significant reduction in Amazon shares was noted, with a 77.24% decrease in holdings, dropping its portfolio share from 0.82% to 0.19%, leaving nearly 2.3 million shares [5]. - The stake in Bank of America was also reduced, with nearly 50.8 million shares sold, resulting in an 8.94% decrease in holdings [6]. Group 3: New Investments and Increases - Berkshire initiated a new position in The New York Times, purchasing 5.0657 million shares valued at over $350 million, ranking it 30th in the portfolio [8]. - The company increased its holdings in Chevron by over 8.09 million shares, a 6.63% increase, and in Chubb Limited by nearly 2.92 million shares, a 9.31% increase [9]. - Additionally, there was a 12.34% increase in holdings of Domino's Pizza, raising its market value to $1.4 billion [9]. Group 4: Stable Holdings - Coca-Cola and Kraft Heinz holdings remained unchanged, with Coca-Cola valued at $27.96 billion, maintaining its position as the fourth-largest holding [11]. - Berkshire is the largest shareholder of Kraft Heinz, holding approximately 27.5% of the company, which is undergoing a split into two independent publicly traded companies [11].

On Saturday, The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) drew fresh attention after Berkshire Hathaway CEO Greg Abel backed CEO Steve Cahillane for halting work on a previously announced plan to split Kraft from Heinz. The pause comes as Cahillane tries to reset performance after fourth-quarter adjusted EPS fell 20.2% to 67 cents and management outlined a $600 million push to reignite growth, details that were laid out in planned breakup pause coverage. CNBC reports Cahillane told investors he has been in the j ...

Core Viewpoint - Three stocks have been added to the Zacks Rank 5 (Strong Sell) List, indicating a negative outlook for these companies based on recent earnings estimate revisions Group 1: Company-Specific Insights - Avantor, Inc. (AVTR) provides mission-critical products and services for life sciences industries, with a 9% downward revision in the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings over the last 60 days [1] - Columbus McKinnon Corporation (CMCO) is a scientific and technical instruments company, experiencing a 26% downward revision in the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings over the last 60 days [1] - The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC) operates in the food and beverages sector, with a 10.3% downward revision in the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings over the last 60 days [2]

Core Viewpoint - The Kraft Heinz Company is providing a business update for the fourth quarter and full year 2025, highlighting expectations for future performance and strategic initiatives [1][2] Group 1: Business Update - The presentation includes forward-looking statements regarding business plans, strategies, efforts, investments, and expected impacts [1] - The Chief Executive Officer, Steve Cahillane, will discuss the overall strategy and business performance [2] - A financial review of the fourth quarter results will be provided by the Chief Global Financial Officer, Andre Maciel [2] Group 2: Financial Measures - The company will refer to non-GAAP financial measures that exclude certain items from financial results reported in accordance with GAAP [2] - Additional information regarding non-GAAP financial measures and reconciliations to GAAP will be available on the company's website [2] Group 3: Future Outlook - The presentation will conclude with a discussion on the company's outlook for 2026 [2] - A live question-and-answer session with analysts is scheduled, with access available on the company's investor relations website [2]

Core Insights - Berkshire Hathaway's new CEO supports Kraft Heinz's decision to pause the planned separation of Kraft from Heinz, which was initially announced in September 2022 [2][3] Group 1: Company Developments - Kraft Heinz's new CEO, Steve Cahillane, has identified that the company's opportunities are larger than expected and many challenges are manageable [2] - The decision to pause the separation aims to strengthen Kraft Heinz's competitive position and enhance customer service [3] Group 2: Shareholder Impact - Berkshire Hathaway holds a 27.5% stake in Kraft Heinz, valued at approximately $8.1 billion, making it the largest shareholder [3]

Group 1 - Kraft Heinz (KHC) is a long-term holding for Warren Buffett and has been part of the investment community since the 1800s [1] Group 2 - The article emphasizes the importance of due diligence for investors and encourages building portfolios of high-quality, dividend-paying companies [2] - The author identifies as a buy-and-hold investor focused on quality over quantity, aiming to supplement retirement income through dividends in the next 5-7 years [2]

Group 1 - Kraft Heinz (KHC) is a long-term holding for Warren Buffett and has been established since the 1800s, making it well-known in the investment community [1] Group 2 - The article emphasizes the importance of conducting personal due diligence before making investment decisions, highlighting that the information provided is for educational purposes only [2] - The author expresses a focus on dividend investing in quality blue-chip stocks, BDCs, and REITs, aiming to help lower and middle-class workers build investment portfolios [2] Group 3 - There is a disclosure stating that the author has no stock or derivative positions in any mentioned companies and no plans to initiate such positions in the near future [3] - Seeking Alpha clarifies that past performance does not guarantee future results and that the views expressed may not reflect the opinions of the platform as a whole [4]

Core Insights - Envestnet Asset Management Inc. reduced its holdings in Kraft Heinz Company by 42.2% in Q3, owning 867,115 shares valued at approximately $22.58 million after selling 633,658 shares [2][6] - Institutional investors hold 78.17% of Kraft Heinz's stock, indicating strong institutional interest [3] Institutional Holdings - Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake valued at about $207,000 in Q1 [3] - Woodline Partners LP increased its stake by 39.0% in Q1, now owning 73,700 shares worth $2.24 million [3] - IFP Advisors Inc. and Blue Trust Inc. also increased their stakes by 19.7% and 18.4% respectively in Q2 [3] - Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its stake by 1.3% in Q2, now holding shares worth $2.56 million [3] Analyst Ratings and Price Targets - Sanford C. Bernstein raised its price target from $24.00 to $27.00, maintaining a "market perform" rating [4] - BNP Paribas Exane lowered its target from $22.00 to $20.00, issuing an "underperform" rating [4] - Piper Sandler reduced its target from $27.00 to $26.00, maintaining a "neutral" rating [4] - The average consensus target price for Kraft Heinz is $25.16, with one "Strong Buy," sixteen "Hold," and four "Sell" ratings [4] Recent Company News - Insider Miguel Patricio sold 125,000 shares at an average price of $24.82, totaling approximately $3.10 million [5] - Kraft Heinz announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, yielding approximately 6.5% [9] - The company plans to invest around $950 million in capital spending for 2026, with $600 million committed to reviving growth [5] Financial Performance - Kraft Heinz reported Q4 earnings of $0.67 per share, exceeding estimates of $0.61, but revenue decreased by 3.4% year-over-year to $6.35 billion [8] - The company has set FY 2026 EPS guidance at $1.980 to $2.100, with analysts expecting an average EPS of $2.68 for the current year [8] Stock Performance - Kraft Heinz stock opened at $24.80, with a 50-day moving average of $24.01 and a 200-day moving average of $25.34 [7] - The stock has a market capitalization of $29.36 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.02 [7]