Blue Trust Inc. Sells 6,791 Shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Blue Trust Inc. decreased its position in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 15.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 36,897 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,791 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $2,204,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Mondelez International Price Performance

Shares of Mondelez International stock opened at $60.82 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $81.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.78, a PEG ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $58.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.14. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $53.95 and a 52 week high of $76.06.

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%. As a group, analysts expect that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mondelez International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Mondelez International’s payout ratio is currently 54.97%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MDLZ. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $61.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Mondelez International in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $82.00 target price for the company. Dbs Bank cut Mondelez International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Mondelez International from $82.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on Mondelez International from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mondelez International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.74.

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.