Empowered Funds LLC Cuts Holdings in Mondelez International, Inc. $MDLZ

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC has decreased its holdings in Mondelez International by 49.4%, now owning 89,864 shares worth approximately $6.1 million.
• Mondelez International reported earnings of $0.73 per share, surpassing analysts' expectations and showing a revenue increase of 7.7% year-over-year.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend increase from $0.47 to $0.50, reflecting a dividend yield of 3.2% for investors.

Empowered Funds LLC lessened its stake in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ - Free Report) by 49.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 89,864 shares of the company's stock after selling 87,595 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Mondelez International were worth $6,097,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Mondelez International by 11.4% in the first quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 1,519 shares of the company's stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mondelez International by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 15,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,083,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Mondelez International by 11.1% during the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,688 shares of the company's stock worth $115,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Sage Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in Mondelez International by 3.7% during the first quarter. Sage Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 4,921 shares of the company's stock worth $334,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Verus Financial Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in Mondelez International by 3.7% in the first quarter. Verus Financial Partners Inc. now owns 5,067 shares of the company's stock valued at $340,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the period. 78.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MDLZ. Dbs Bank upgraded Mondelez International from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised Mondelez International from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $68.00 to $78.00 in a research note on Friday, June 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Mondelez International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $66.00 to $78.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Mondelez International from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Mondelez International in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mondelez International currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.00.

Mondelez International Stock Performance

MDLZ stock traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $61.98. The company had a trading volume of 4,853,461 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,212,178. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $53.95 and a 12 month high of $75.98. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $64.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $65.82. The firm has a market cap of $80.20 billion, a PE ratio of 22.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.64.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.05. Mondelez International had a net margin of 9.84% and a return on equity of 15.35%. The company had revenue of $8.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.86 EPS. Mondelez International's revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Mondelez International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.100-3.100 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mondelez International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. This is a positive change from Mondelez International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Mondelez International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.26%.

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.