Should Kraft Heinz Avoid M&A in 2018?

Sometimes, you have to do the unglamorous work of paying your dues to earn respect. That's the uncanny situation Kraft Heinz Co (NASDAQ: KHC) finds itself in, 2.5 years after its debut on the public markets as an organization combining the brand power of the Kraft and Heinz company names.

After being rebuffed by Unilever plc (NYSE: UL) in February 2017 at the most preliminary stage of merger talks, Kraft Heinz's stock performance has deteriorated. At the time of this writing, shares have lost 6% year to date on a total return basis, and since the company began trading in early July 2015, "KHC" shares have posted a total return of just 18%, roughly half of the S&P 500 Total Return Index over the same period: