Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. Has $34.19 Million Stock Holdings in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. trimmed its holdings in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 10.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 572,403 shares of the company’s stock after selling 64,629 shares during the quarter. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $34,189,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its stake in 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 worth $926,327,000 after buying an additional 12,470,573 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Mondelez International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $256,832,000. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in Mondelez International by 2,560.0% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,411,179 shares of the company’s stock worth $203,749,000 after buying an additional 3,282,937 shares during the period. Ilex Capital Partners UK LLP acquired a new position in Mondelez International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $219,045,000. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in Mondelez International by 14.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 18,255,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,344,894,000 after buying an additional 2,268,639 shares during the period. 78.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MDLZ has been the topic of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $75.00 to $62.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Dbs Bank downgraded Mondelez International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Mondelez International from $67.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Mondelez International from $78.00 to $71.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Mondelez International from $61.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.74.

Mondelez International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MDLZ opened at $64.98 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.47. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $53.95 and a 1-year high of $76.06. The firm has a market cap of $84.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.00, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.01). Mondelez International had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 16.75%. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.97%.

Mondelez International announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 10.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.