Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Sells 290 Shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lessened its stake in shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 16.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,439 shares of the company’s stock after selling 290 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $86,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MDLZ. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd raised its position in Mondelez International by 430.0% during the 4th quarter. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd now owns 92,413 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,520,000 after purchasing an additional 74,975 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank increased its stake in shares of Mondelez International by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 289,931 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,318,000 after buying an additional 17,815 shares during the period. Buckingham Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. Buckingham Capital Management Inc. now owns 93,394 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,578,000 after acquiring an additional 18,961 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Private Trust Co. lifted its stake in Mondelez International by 33.2% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Private Trust Co. now owns 3,841 shares of the company’s stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 957 shares during the period. Finally, Kennedy Investment Group bought a new position in Mondelez International during the 4th quarter worth about $313,000. Institutional investors own 78.32% of the company’s stock.

Mondelez International Trading Up 0.3 %

NASDAQ:MDLZ opened at $67.72 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $87.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.80, a PEG ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $53.95 and a 12 month high of $76.06. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.75.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by ($0.01). Mondelez International had a return on equity of 16.75% and a net margin of 12.68%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Mondelez International declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to repurchase $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 10.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MDLZ shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Mondelez International in a research report on Monday, March 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Mondelez International from $67.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays cut their price target on Mondelez International from $69.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Mondelez International from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on Mondelez International from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.50.

Mondelez International Company Profile

Mondelez International, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and sells snack food and beverage products in the Latin America, North America, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. It provides biscuits and baked snacks, including cookies, crackers, salted snacks, snack bars, and cakes and pastries; chocolates; and gums and candies, as well as various cheese and grocery, and powdered beverage products.