Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Increases Stock Position in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 494,282 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,423 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $29,523,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in Mondelez International during the third quarter worth $25,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mondelez International during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its position in Mondelez International by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 400 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Mondelez International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in Mondelez International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. 78.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on MDLZ shares. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $61.00 price target (down from $74.00) on shares of Mondelez International in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Mondelez International from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $78.00 to $67.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Mondelez International in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on Mondelez International from $79.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mondelez International has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.64.

Mondelez International Stock Down 3.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MDLZ opened at $56.25 on Friday. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $56.21 and a 1 year high of $77.20. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $62.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.95, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.54.

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 analyst estimates of $9.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.82 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 3.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.67%.

Mondelez International announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 10.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.