Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) Shares Purchased by DnB Asset Management AS

DnB Asset Management AS grew its holdings in shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 8.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 298,679 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,040 shares during the period. DnB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $17,840,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MDLZ shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Mondelez International from $67.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Dbs Bank downgraded Mondelez International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Argus cut shares of Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Mondelez International in a research report on Monday, March 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 target price for the company. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.50.

Mondelez International Trading Up 0.3 %

MDLZ stock opened at $67.72 on Friday. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $53.95 and a 52 week high of $76.06. The company has a market cap of $87.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.80, a PEG ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.88.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last released 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 EPS for the current year.

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

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Mondelez International’s payout ratio is currently 54.97%.

Mondelez International 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.