Banco Santander S.A. Acquires 21,032 Shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Key Points

• Banco Santander S.A. has increased its stake in Mondelez International by 137.8%, holding 36,295 shares valued at approximately $2.46 million as of the last quarter.
• Analysts have varying ratings for Mondelez, with a majority rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $71.95, following several recent price target increases.
• Mondelez has announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.50 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $2.00 and a yield of 3.1%, effective October 14th.

Banco Santander S.A. increased its holdings in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ - Free Report) by 137.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 36,295 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 21,032 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.'s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $2,463,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Mondelez International by 92.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,631 shares of the company's stock worth $874,000 after purchasing an additional 7,025 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG increased its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 334,994 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,009,000 after purchasing an additional 3,706 shares during the period. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Mondelez International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $868,000. Prudential PLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mondelez International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $282,000. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Mondelez International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,357,000. 78.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mondelez International Price Performance

NASDAQ:MDLZ traded down $0.23 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $62.07. The company had a trading volume of 7,727,906 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,372,521. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $67.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Mondelez International, Inc. has a one year low of $53.95 and a one year high of $76.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.37 billion, a PE ratio of 22.74, a PEG ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.46.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $8.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.82 billion. Mondelez International had a net margin of 9.84% and a return on equity of 15.35%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Mondelez International Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. This is a positive change from Mondelez International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Mondelez International's dividend payout ratio is 68.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Mondelez International from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $68.00 to $78.00 in a research note on Friday, June 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $79.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Mondelez International from $64.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group cut their target price on Mondelez International from $72.00 to $69.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Mondelez International from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Mondelez International currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $71.95.

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.