Kraft Heinz Co. shares dropped roughly 7% on Wednesday after the packaged-food company said it would pause work on a previously announced separation and released a 2026 outlook that came in below analyst forecasts.
For the fourth quarter, Kraft Heinz reported adjusted earnings per share of $0.67, outpacing analyst estimates of $0.61. Revenue for the quarter totaled $6.35 billion, narrowly missing the $6.38 billion analysts had forecast and marking a 3.4% decline from the same period a year earlier. On a comparable basis, organic sales fell 4.2% in the quarter, a larger decline than the 3.72% drop analysts had projected.
The company said it would pause work related to its planned separation and emphasized a renewed focus on returning to profitable growth. Steve Cahillane, who recently joined Kraft Heinz as chief executive, framed the strategic shift as a reorientation of resources toward execution of the operating plan and near-term recovery efforts. "My number one priority is returning the business to profitable growth, which will require ensuring all resources are fully focused on the execution of our operating plan," Cahillane said. "As a result, we believe it is prudent to pause work related to the separation."
As part of that push, Kraft Heinz committed $600 million in investments across marketing, sales, and research and development aimed at driving a recovery, with particular emphasis on reversing weakness in its U.S. business.
The 2026 outlook disappointed investors: the company projected adjusted EPS of $1.98 to $2.10, below analysts' consensus of $2.49. Management also forecast organic net sales to decline between 1.5% and 3.5% and expected adjusted operating profit to decrease in a range of 14% to 18%.
Kraft Heinz's reported full-year 2025 results included a net loss of $5.85 billion, compared with a profit of $2.74 billion in 2024. The swing largely reflected non-cash impairment losses totaling $9.3 billion. Adjusted EPS for 2025 was $2.60, down 15% from $3.06 in the prior year.
Volume trends remained a concern. North America organic volume declined 5.4% in the fourth quarter, with company commentary pointing to softness across multiple categories including cold cuts, coffee, frozen meals, bacon, and condiments.
Investors reacted to the combination of a paused strategic separation, a sizeable near-term investment program, and guidance that fell short of expectations by selling shares, reflecting concerns about the timeline and effectiveness of the turnaround plan.
Contextual note - The information in this report reflects the company disclosures and guidance as presented by management and does not introduce additional data or analysis beyond those disclosures.