Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Decreases Position in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lowered its stake in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 169,500 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,600 shares during the quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $10,124,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in Mondelez International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mondelez International during the third quarter worth $27,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mondelez International by 100.0% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new stake in Mondelez International during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Mondelez International during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. 78.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mondelez International Trading Up 3.3 %

Mondelez International stock opened at $60.45 on Wednesday. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $53.95 and a 1 year high of $76.06. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $59.20 and its 200-day moving average is $66.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $80.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.68, a PEG ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.54.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts expect that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.11%. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.97%.

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 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on MDLZ. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Mondelez International from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Piper Sandler cut Mondelez International from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $63.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays lowered their price objective on Mondelez International from $69.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Mondelez International from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Mondelez International from $82.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.72.

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.