Candriam S.C.A. Acquires 138,646 Shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Candriam S.C.A. boosted its holdings in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 13.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,188,382 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 138,646 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. owned 0.09% of Mondelez International worth $70,982,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Inceptionr LLC raised its stake in Mondelez International by 17.4% in the 4th quarter. Inceptionr LLC now owns 34,373 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,053,000 after acquiring an additional 5,097 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Mondelez International in the 4th quarter valued at $256,832,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in Mondelez International during the 4th quarter worth $50,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its position in Mondelez International by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 54,645 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,264,000 after buying an additional 221 shares during the period. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new position in Mondelez International during the 4th quarter worth $2,321,000. Institutional investors own 78.32% of the company’s stock.

Mondelez International Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MDLZ opened at $66.30 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.61. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $53.95 and a 52-week high of $76.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.76 billion, a PE ratio of 19.39, a P/E/G 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 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.01). Mondelez International had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 16.75%. Analysts forecast that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 EPS for the current year.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio is 54.97%.

Mondelez International declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 10.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on MDLZ shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Mondelez International from $67.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Argus lowered Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. DZ Bank lowered Mondelez International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $52.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Mondelez International from $76.00 to $63.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report 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 for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.74.

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.