Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) Downgraded by Argus to Hold

Argus cut shares of Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Friday, MarketBeat reports.

MDLZ has been the topic of several other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Mondelez International from $75.00 to $69.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Mizuho upped their target price on Mondelez International from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $82.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Mondelez International from $78.00 to $71.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, DZ Bank downgraded shares of Mondelez International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $52.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.74.

Mondelez International Trading Up 4.1 %

Shares of MDLZ stock opened at $64.70 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $83.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.92, a P/E/G ratio of 4.32 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.68. Mondelez International has a 52-week low of $53.95 and a 52-week high of $76.06. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $58.98 and a 200-day moving average of $65.91.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 forecast that Mondelez International will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mondelez International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.91%. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.97%.

Mondelez International announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $9.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 10.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its stake in shares of Mondelez International by 16.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 1,058 shares of the company’s stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Canopy Partners LLC grew its stake in Mondelez International by 1.2% in the third quarter. Canopy Partners LLC now owns 13,335 shares of the company’s stock worth $982,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Hardy Reed LLC increased its stake in shares of Mondelez International by 1.4% during the third quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 11,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $848,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Interchange Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC lifted its holdings in Mondelez International by 2.2% during the third quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 7,641 shares of the company’s stock worth $563,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. 78.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.