LPL Financial LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 6.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,521,753 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 91,361 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC owned approximately 0.11% of Mondelez International worth $90,894,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd lifted its holdings in Mondelez International by 430.0% during 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 during the period. Czech National Bank raised its stake in shares of Mondelez International by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 289,931 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,318,000 after purchasing an additional 17,815 shares during the period. Buckingham Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 25.5% in the 4th 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 during 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 valued at $229,000 after buying an additional 957 shares during the period. Finally, Kennedy Investment Group purchased a new stake in Mondelez International during the fourth quarter worth about $313,000. 78.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mondelez International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MDLZ opened at $64.69 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.92, a P/E/G 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 stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $61.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $64.91. Mondelez International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $53.95 and a twelve month high of $76.06.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mondelez International declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 10.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MDLZ has been the subject of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Mondelez International from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $70.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Mondelez International in a report on Monday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $75.00 to $62.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group cut their price target on Mondelez International from $76.00 to $63.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Mondelez International from $82.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently 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.