Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Increases Stake in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 109,854 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,090 shares during the quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $6,562,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $75.00 to $62.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Mondelez International from $67.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group dropped their price target on Mondelez International from $76.00 to $63.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Mondelez International from $82.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Mondelez International in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $82.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.72.

Mondelez International Stock Performance

Mondelez International stock opened at $58.45 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $59.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.41. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $53.95 and a 52 week high of $76.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.09, a PEG ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last released 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 net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 16.75%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Mondelez International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.22%. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.97%.

Mondelez International declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 10.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.