Kimberly-Clark (KMB) has been witnessing higher consumer demand for its products amid the coronavirus outbreak. Also, the company's cost-saving efforts are yielding results.

The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 13% in the last quarter...

Fairholme leader introduces 4 new holdings to equity portfolio Continue reading...

Kraft Heinz Co (NASDAQ: KHC) is trading at a 40% valuation discount versus its peers and represents a good buying opportunity for investors, according to BofA Securities.The Kraft Heinz AnalystBryan Spillane upgraded Kraft Heinz's stock from Neutral to Buy with a price target lifted from $32 to $38.The Kraft Heinz ThesisSpillane said Kraft's valuation discount compared to its packaged food rivals is in part due to a lack of confidence in management's strategy change, little trust in its product portfolio, and question marks related to the balance sheet and dividends. But management started to address these concerns in 2019 and is now well-positioned to not only take advantage of the current eat at home trend but adjust itself to future recessions and other changes.In terms of the balance sheet, Spillane said the company has enough cash to maintain its current dividend yield of 5.4%. Management was active over the past eight months refinancing existing debt and it has just $1.5 billion in maturities due from now through fiscal 2027. The company still generates $700 million of cash after factoring in dividends and debt obligations which makes the case for market confidence to improve.The research firm's revised $38 price target is based on 15 times 2021 EPS estimate, which is still a discount to the packaged food group at 16 times but implies the performance gap versus its rivals "is closing," the analyst wrote in the note.KHC Price ActionShares of Kraft Heinz were trading higher by 5.6% at $30.86 at time of publication.Related Links:A Look At Consumer Shopping Priorities During Coronavirus Pandemic8 Dividends In Danger Of Being CutLatest Ratings for KHC DateFirmActionFromTo May 2020B of A SecuritiesUpgradesNeutralBuy May 2020StifelMaintainsHold May 2020Credit SuisseMaintainsUnderperform View More Analyst Ratings for KHC View the Latest Analyst RatingsSee more from Benzinga * A Look At Consumer Shopping Priorities During Coronavirus Pandemic(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

The novel coronavirus has hit Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE:BUD) particularly hard. With a rally off March lows fading, Anheuser-Busch stock now is down more than half so far in 2020.Source: legacy1995 / Shutterstock.com It's a more stunning decline than an investor might think. Excluding travel, financials and retailers, BUD has been the worst large-cap stock of 2020.And it's not as if Anheuser-Busch stock roared into the year. Shares did post a nice rally in 2019 -- but off a six-year low reached the prior December. Heading into 2020, BUD still was nearly 40% below 2016 levels.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsThere are both short- and long-term reasons for the selling pressure. But before last week's earnings report, I argued that Anheuser-Busch stock was a buy if it retested March lows. We're getting close to those lows. At this point, and after earnings, I believe Anheuser-Busch stock is a buy. A Short-Term HitUnquestionably, Anheuser-Busch is taking a short-term hit from coronavirus-driven fears. As I noted earlier this month, the company is getting a boost in off-premise (takeaway) sales. Data from Nielsen showed a nearly 10% increase over four weeks. * 20 Stocks to Buy If You're Still Betting on America to Thrive Of course, the off-premise business is getting slammed worldwide. Bars, restaurants, stadiums and other venues are closed. Sales have fallen so far that there are legitimate concerns about how brewers will dispose of stale beer.The impact was seen in BUD's first-quarter report last week. Revenue declined 5.8% for the quarter. But volume actually was up 1.9% in the first two months. Given higher pricing, revenue grew even faster.Indeed, revenue per hectoliter rose nearly 4% in the quarter. That suggests that revenue in January and February was up close to 6% -- while March sales fell in the range of 25%. The news for April was worse: a 32% decline in global volume.Unsurprisingly, adjusted earnings (what Anheuser-Busch calls "underlying profit") fell 30% year-over-year in Q1. The second quarter will be worse. The problem with the brewing industry is that costs don't come down all that much along with volume. The brewery still needs to operate; labor savings are minimal. Even gross margins fall when volumes come down.And so this crisis in 2020 is a multibillion-dollar problem for Anheuser-Busch. There's no two ways about it. Longer-Term WorriesAgain, that comes after Anheuser-Busch stock already had its struggles. The rise of craft beer worldwide created literally thousands of new competitors. The number of breweries in the U.S. alone almost doubled between 2014 and 2018.As a result, sales for BUD and other mega-brewers have stalled out. Indeed, Molson Coors (NYSE:TAP) has seen its stock fall even further, and its shares are retesting an 11-year low.In addition to the pressure on the industry, Anheuser-Busch's acquisition of SABMiller put tens of billions of dollars in debt on the balance sheet. So, it's not a surprise that BUD stock struggled even before the current crisis. The Case for Anheuser-Busch Stock at the LowsAll that said, price matters. Value matters.And I'd keep this in mind: Anheuser-Busch stock has lost a stunning $65 billion in market value so far in 2020.Again, the short-term hit is significant in terms of lost sales and profits. But it's not $65 billion significant. It's nothing close to that.And as far as the long-term impact goes, I'm skeptical it's all that negative. Normalcy will return. Bars and restaurants already are starting to reopen, if cautiously so.Many craft competitors unfortunately won't do the same. What we're seeing in sectors like tech is a realization that size and scale are enormous benefits in a time of turmoil. Anheuser-Busch has that size and scale.Elsewhere in the beverage industry, investors seem to have that understanding. Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) estimated a global volume decline of 25% for the first three weeks of April. Its stock is down just 21% this year, a performance some thirty points better than that of BUD.Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) is another consumer giant with heavy leverage. Its shares are down 10% YTD. Boston Beer (NYSE:SAM) stock actually has soared, and sits at an all-time high.To be sure, I'm not arguing that BUD stock should be positive amid the crisis. I'm not even convinced that Anheuser-Busch stock should be tracking Coke.But, again, outside of the hardest-hit sectors, BUD has been the worst large-cap stock of 2020. I simply don't think the long-term outlook supports that kind of decline. Investors will figure that out soon enough.Matthew McCall left Wall Street to actually help investors -- by getting them into the world's biggest, most revolutionary trends BEFORE anyone else. The power of being "first" gave Matt's readers the chance to bank +2,438% in Stamps.com (STMP), +1,523% in Ulta Beauty (ULTA) and +1,044% in Tesla (TSLA), just to name a few. Click here to see what Matt has up his sleeve now. Matt does not directly own the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * Top Stock Picker Reveals His Next 1,000% Winner * America's Richest ZIP Code Holds Shocking Secret * 1 Under-the-Radar 5G Stock to Buy Now * The 1 Stock All Retirees Must Own The post Anheuser-Busch Stock Makes a Solid Buy at Current Lows appeared first on InvestorPlace.

As many on Wall Street were running for the exits in March, some of the best investors in the world, including Seth Klarman, Bill Ackman, David Einhorn, and Bruce Berkowitz, were scooping up deals. Here's why they saw value in Facebook (NASDAQ: FB), Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B), and Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ: KHC) during the recent bear market.

(Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc. says the one- and two-day delivery times that shoppers have come to expect should gradually return in coming weeks as the online retailer catches up from a demand surge tied to the coronavirus outbreak.The company on Sunday lifted restrictions on the amount of inventory its suppliers can send to Amazon warehouses and is shortening delivery times -- which had stretched for weeks for some products since the outbreak began -- back to days. The shares rose 2.1% to $2,406 at 10:42 a.m. on Wednesday.Amazon spends months preparing for the surge in consumer demand that usually comes during the holiday season. The Covid-19 outbreak that closed many retail brick-and-mortar stores and sent millions of shoppers online created a month’s worth of Black Friday spending without warning. Once Amazon fell behind, it took several weeks and hiring 175,000 people to get back on track.“We removed quantity limits on products our suppliers can send to our fulfillment centers,” Amazon spokeswoman Kristen Kish said in an email. “We continue to adhere to extensive health and safety measures to protect our associates as they pick, pack and ship products to customers, and are improving delivery speeds across our store.”Even with the delays, Amazon saw a major spike in sales tied to the coronavirus outbreak because shoppers had so few choices. Amazon, big box stores, supermarkets and pharmacies were among the few businesses deemed essential and allowed to remain open. But the delays were starting to tarnish Amazon’s reputation with its customers and its merchants who supply more than half the goods sold on the site.Quick delivery is central to Amazon’s customer promise, helping it attract more than 100 million people who pay monthly or yearly dues for Prime memberships. Prime members spend more on the site than non-Prime members, making it critical for Amazon to get its delivery times back to normal especially as retail stores begin reopening and shoppers have more options.When Seattle-based Amazon was overwhelmed in April, many shoppers saw the long delivery times and shifted their purchases to pickup curbside options offered by Walmart Inc. and Target Corp., said Anthony Ferry, chief executive officer of PriceSpider, which tracks web traffic for more than 1,600 brands, including consumer staples made by Procter & Gamble Co. and Kraft Heinz Co.“Loyal Amazon shoppers left the site when they saw long delivery times or items were out of stock,” he said. “Buy-online pickup-in store has become a much more enticing and desirable solution when people want something now.”Amazon let employees worried about their safety take time off during the outbreak, which increased absenteeism and aggravated the delays. Some lawmakers, unions and workers have criticized Amazon for not doing enough to protect its warehouse workers and continuing deliveries through the pandemic. Company officials have said repeatedly they have taken multiple steps, including extensive cleaning at facilities, to keep its employees healthy.Long delivery times were beginning to erode Amazon’s stellar brand reputation among consumers, said Juozas Kaziukenas, founder of the New York research firm Marketplace Pulse that monitors the site. Shoppers left 800,000 negative reviews on Amazon’s shopping site in April, double the number in the same month a year ago, with much of the increase attributable to longer delivery times, he said.“Amazon is known for great selection, low prices and fast shipping,” Kaziukenas said. “These all broke during the pandemic. Selection was not always there, prices were not lowest because Amazon sold out, and fast shipping was gone.”Even Amazon’s merchants, many of whom rely on the company to store, pack and ship their products through the Fulfillment By Amazon logistics service, started doing things themselves to quicken the pace of deliveries.Bellroy has been selling wallets, smartphone cases and laptop sleeves on Amazon for seven years and used Fulfillment By Amazon because quick delivery is popular with coveted Prime members. But by the end of March, delivery times for many of its products were as long as 30 days and sales plummeted. Amazon was prioritizing essential items. So Bellroy began packing and shipping many of its products itself, and now does the logistics for about 20% of its sales on Amazon, said Lina Calabria, co-founder and chief operating officer of the company.“When you go to Amazon and see 30-day shipping, our brand is getting mixed in with Amazon’s problems and we don’t want our customers to have a disappointing experience,” she said. ”It seems like we’ve accidentally developed a new strategy for Amazon.”By again reducing its delivery times, Amazon will cut the risk of more merchants defecting from its logistics service, which generated about $14.5 billion, or 19% of its total revenue, in the first quarter. Many sellers are simply waiting for Amazon to clear the delivery clog, said James Thomson, a former Amazon employee who helps merchants sell products on the site through his consulting firm Buy Box Experts.“It doesn’t matter if I advertise on Facebook or Google and redirect people to my site and offer faster delivery than Amazon,” he said. “The biggest problem for a lot of merchants is shoppers just don’t want their products right now.”(Updates with shares in second paragaph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

Firm's largest sales of the 1st quarter Continue reading...

Fasten your meatbelts, NASCAR fans! Not only is NASCAR returning, but the iconic duo, Oscar Mayer and driver Ryan Newman, are back on the track at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17.

Bank of America upgraded shares of Kraft Heinz on Monday. There are more gains ahead for the packaged-food giant, according to the broker.

Hostess Brands CEO Andy Callahan tells Yahoo Finance people continue to fill their pantries with donuts and Twinkies amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week I wrote that this was the end of the Warren Buffett era as Berkshire (BRK)(BRK) underperformed the S&P 500 (SPX)  over the entire 2009-2020 bear market. Many Buffett fans responded by saying don’t count Buffett out yet because when (not if) the market tanks again, he’ll have more than $130 billion in cash to scoop up bargains. Based on Berkshire’s SEC filings, three of Buffett’s biggest recent investments—Kraft Heinz (KHC) , Occidental Petroleum (OXY) , and airline stocks—have lost at least $7 billion altogether out of an investment of roughly $10 billion in each.

The world's most legendary investor doesn't exactly heed one of the most embraced tenets of building a portfolio.

KHC vs. THS: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Grant & Eisenhofer, P.A. announces that the Court has issued a order announcing that the March 28, 2020 notice informing investors of their right to seek appointment as lead plaintiff in a securities class action filed by Grant & Eisenhofer on behalf of City of Hollywood Police Officers' Retirement System against Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ: KHC), certain of its current and former senior executives, and 3G Capital, Inc. and its related affiliates, will be vacated. That action is captioned City of Hollywood Police Officers' Retirement System v. The Kraft Heinz Company, et al., 1:20-cv-01970 (N.D. Ill.) (the "Hollywood Police Action").

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ: KHC) is attracting more positive investor sentiment. The stock just received an upgrade from a Bank of America analyst, who sees a good chance that shares will rise to $38 in the near term.

The Kraft Heinz Company ("Kraft Heinz") (Nasdaq: KHC) today announced the early tender results of the previously announced offer by its 100% owned operating subsidiary Kraft Heinz Foods Company (the "Issuer") to purchase for cash (the "Tender Offer") any validly tendered (and not subsequently validly withdrawn) notes up to a combined aggregate purchase price (excluding accrued and unpaid interest) of $2.2 billion (the "Maximum Tender Amount") of its outstanding Floating Rate Senior Notes due February 2021 (the "February 2021 Notes"), 3.500% Senior Notes due June 2022 (the "June 2022 Notes"), 3.500% Senior Notes due July 2022 (the "July 2022 Notes"), Floating Rate Senior Notes due August 2022 (the "August 2022 Notes"), 4.000% Senior Notes due June 2023 (the "June 2023 Notes"), 3.950% Senior Notes due July 2025 (the "July 2025 Notes") and 3.000% Senior Notes due June 2026 (the "June 2026 Notes," and together with the February 2021 Notes, the June 2022 Notes, the July 2022 Notes, the August 2022 Notes, the June 2023 Notes and the July 2025 Notes, the "Notes" and each, a "Series" of Notes). Kraft Heinz also announced that, with respect to the Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 15, 2020 (the "Early Tender Time"), the Issuer will elect to make payment for such Notes on May 19, 2020 (the "Early Settlement Date").

Peloton, Dick's, General Mills, Kraft Heinz and TreeHouse as Zacks Bull and Bear of the Day

When it comes to investing, Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK) is unquestionably the greatest who ever lived, posting an extraordinary record over more than five decades. From 1965 through 2018, Berkshire racked up a 20.5% compound annual return, more than double that of the S&P 500 (SPX) including dividends. Buffett also is a beloved multibillionaire in an age when the superrich are vilified.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ: KHC) has generally been an underperforming stock in recent years, yet on Monday it closed nearly 6% higher. Bank of America analyst Bryan Spillane now believes Kraft Heinz is a buy, with a new price target of $38 per share. Kraft Heinz stands to benefit from dramatic changes in the consumer landscape in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.