Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Buys 1,730 Shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its position in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 46,234 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,730 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $2,762,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mondelez International by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 33,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,005,000 after buying an additional 1,609 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. increased its position in shares of Mondelez International by 51.2% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 31,621 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,889,000 after acquiring an additional 10,707 shares in the last quarter. CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Mondelez International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $301,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Mondelez International by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 132,437,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,910,477,000 after acquiring an additional 931,776 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in Mondelez International by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 1,521,753 shares of the company’s stock valued at $90,894,000 after purchasing an additional 91,361 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.32% of the company’s stock.

Mondelez International Stock Performance

Shares of MDLZ opened at $64.69 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $53.95 and a 52 week high of $76.06. The stock has a market cap of $83.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.92, a PEG ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.50.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 16.75%. On average, analysts expect that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 EPS for the current year.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.91%. Mondelez International’s payout ratio is 54.97%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MDLZ has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Mondelez International from $75.00 to $69.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Mondelez International in a research report on Monday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Mondelez International from $61.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Mondelez International from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $63.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, DZ Bank cut shares of Mondelez International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $52.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.70.

Mondelez International Company 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.