Ballast Inc. Grows Position in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Ballast Inc. raised its holdings in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 39.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 19,260 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,481 shares during the quarter. Ballast Inc.’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $1,150,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MDLZ. Axiom Advisory LLC increased its stake in Mondelez International by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Axiom Advisory LLC now owns 9,152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $643,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its stake in shares of Mondelez International by 16.5% during 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 during the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel boosted its position in shares of Mondelez International by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 11,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $811,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Mondelez International by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $894,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC increased its holdings in Mondelez International by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 3,047 shares of the company’s stock valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. 78.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mondelez International Stock Performance

NASDAQ MDLZ opened at $57.86 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $61.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.54. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $55.97 and a 1-year high of $77.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.42.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.14. Mondelez International had a net margin of 10.58% and a return on equity of 17.53%. The company had revenue of $9.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.82 earnings per share. Mondelez International’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 3.48 EPS for the current year.

Mondelez International announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $9.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 10.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Mondelez International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on MDLZ shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $78.00 to $67.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Mondelez International from $79.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Mondelez International from $79.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Mondelez International from $78.00 to $71.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mondelez International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.93.

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.