Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) Hits New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $56.11 and last traded at $56.57, with a volume of 785496 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $56.25.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on MDLZ. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $78.00 to $71.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Mondelez International from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Mondelez International from $74.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $61.00 price objective (down previously from $74.00) on shares of Mondelez International in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $78.00 to $67.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mondelez International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $76.79.

Mondelez International Trading Up 1.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.35 billion, a PE ratio of 20.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.54. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $62.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.44.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.14. Mondelez International had a net margin of 10.58% and a return on equity of 17.53%. The firm had revenue of $9.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.82 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 3.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.29%. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.67%.

Mondelez International announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 10.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mondelez International

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 12,057.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 12,574,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,327,000 after buying an additional 12,470,573 shares in the last quarter. Ilex Capital Partners UK LLP bought a new stake in Mondelez International during the third quarter worth about $219,045,000. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Mondelez International by 14.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 18,255,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,344,894,000 after purchasing an additional 2,268,639 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new position in shares of Mondelez International during the third quarter valued at approximately $159,823,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI lifted its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 173.7% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 3,049,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $224,652,000 after purchasing an additional 1,935,356 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.32% of the company’s stock.

About Mondelez International

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.