Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) Earns Overweight Rating from Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Research analysts at Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage set an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective points to a potential upside of 6.96% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the company. DZ Bank lowered Mondelez International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $52.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $75.00 to $62.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Mondelez International from $61.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Argus downgraded Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One investment 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 MarketBeat, Mondelez International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.70.

Mondelez International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MDLZ opened at $64.51 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $61.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.06. Mondelez International has a 1-year low of $53.95 and a 1-year high of $76.06. The firm has a market cap of $83.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share 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 anticipate that Mondelez International will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Mondelez International declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $9.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 10.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mondelez International

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in Mondelez International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Mondelez International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new position in Mondelez International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Mondelez International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in Mondelez International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. 78.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Mondelez International

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.