Warren Buffett's company, Berkshire Hathaway, is the largest shareholder in Kraft Heinz.In a move that many thought could be coming, Kraft Heinz's (KHC 1.17%) management team has chosen to split into two. One company, Global Taste Elevation Co., will comprise the faster-growing sauces and condiments products. The other company, North American Grocery Co., will house the North American grocery business.The move comes after shares of Kraft Heinz have struggled immensely, down over 22% in the past five years. ...

Warren Buffett's dealmaking made him a legend, but the breakup of Kraft Heinz marks one of his few missteps, the investor's close followers say. Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate partnered with Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital to acquire Heinz for around $23 billion in 2013. Two years later, they teamed up again to merge Heinz with Kraft in a $40 billion deal.Buffett, a fast-food aficionado, called it "my kind of transaction," adding that the combined company could "supply you Heinz ketchup ...

Kraft Heinz announced Tuesday that it will split into two companies – much to the dismay of legendary investor Warren Buffett, who orchestrated their megamerger a decade ago.Buffett – whose investment firm Berkshire Hathaway is Kraft Heinz’s largest shareholder with a 27.5% stake – said he was “disappointed” by the breakup.“It certainly didn’t turn out to be a brilliant idea to put them together, but I don’t think taking them apart will fix it,” Buffett told CNBC. 4 Kraft Heinz plans to split into two com ...

Core Viewpoint - Kraft Heinz is planning to split into two publicly traded entities by the latter half of 2026, reversing the 2015 merger, which has been criticized for its poor performance [2][3] Group 1: Industry Context - The spin-off reflects challenges in the packaged food industry, including stagnant demand, changing consumer preferences, and increased competition from private labels [3] - The stock price saw minimal change, increasing by only 1% in pre-market trading, while shares have decreased by 21% over the past year, indicating skepticism from investors [3] Group 2: Company Structure Post-Split - The new structure will consist of Global Taste Elevation Co., which includes higher-growth brands like Heinz and Kraft Mac & Cheese, and North American Grocery Co., focusing on U.S. staples like Oscar Mayer and Kraft Singles [4] - Pre-split, Kraft Heinz was trading at approximately 1.3× sales, lower than competitors like Mondelez (2.3×) and Kellanova (2.2×), but slightly above Conagra (1.0×) and Campbell Soup (1.1×) [5] Group 3: Financial Projections - Management anticipates a 60/40 revenue split between the two new entities, projecting Global Taste to generate around $16 billion and North American Grocery about $11 billion based on a 2024 run rate of $27 billion [6][7] - If Global Taste achieves Mondelez-like multiples of 2.0–2.3× revenue, its market cap could reach $32–$36.8 billion, while North American Grocery might trade at 1.0–1.1×, resulting in a combined value of $43–$49 billion, compared to Kraft Heinz's current valuation of $33 billion [7] Group 4: Market Considerations - The market typically does not assign top-tier multiples to both halves of a breakup; if Global Taste trades at 1.6–1.8× and North American Grocery at 1.0×, the total value could drop to $37–$40 billion [8] - The success of the split hinges on the ability of both companies to achieve consistent growth and restore investor confidence, with proponents viewing it as a chance for independent valuation and skeptics fearing it may expose deeper structural issues [9]