Mondelez International, Inc. $MDLZ Stock Bought by ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.

Key Points

• ZWJ Investment Counsel increased its Mondelez stake by 6.1% in the third quarter, adding 43,118 shares to own 754,487 shares worth approximately $43.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 78.32% of MDLZ.
• Mondelez reported quarterly earnings of $0.73 per share, beating estimates by $0.05, while revenue rose 4.1% year over year to $9.36 billion. The company also raised its quarterly dividend from $0.50 to $0.52 per share, producing a 3.3% annualized yield.
• Analysts maintain a favorable outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.82 versus the stock’s reported price of $62.57.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. increased its holdings in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ - Free Report) by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 754,487 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 43,118 shares during the quarter. Mondelez International comprises approximately 1.2% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. owned about 0.06% of Mondelez International worth $43,624,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Mather Group LLC. grew its stake in shares of Mondelez International by 76.8% in the third quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 125,607 shares of the company's stock worth $7,263,000 after acquiring an additional 54,544 shares during the period. Strategy Asset Managers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 2.2% during the third quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 7,505 shares of the company's stock valued at $434,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 3.4% during the third quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 48,570 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,808,000 after purchasing an additional 1,602 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Morris Harris LLC bought a new position in Mondelez International during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,456,000. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its position in Mondelez International by 172.3% during the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 19,852 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,148,000 after purchasing an additional 12,561 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.32% of the company's stock.

Mondelez International Trading Up 1.7%

Mondelez International stock opened at $62.57 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $60.75. The company has a market cap of $79.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.38. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $51.20 and a 52-week high of $66.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $9.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.21 billion. Mondelez International had a net margin of 8.86% and a return on equity of 14.07%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.73 EPS. Mondelez International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.970-3.120 EPS. Analysts predict that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 3.05 EPS for the current year.

Mondelez International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This is an increase from Mondelez International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 30th. Mondelez International's dividend payout ratio is currently 76.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MDLZ has been the topic of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $73.00 target price (up from $70.00) on shares of Mondelez International in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Mondelez International from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. HSBC boosted their target price on shares of Mondelez International from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Mondelez International from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Mondelez International from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.82.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mondelez International news, CEO Dirk Van de Put sold 133,580 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.08, for a total value of $8,559,806.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,326,488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $85,001,351.04. This trade represents a 9.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.45% of the company's stock.

Mondelez International Profile

Mondelez International, Inc is a global food and beverage company focused primarily on snacks. Its portfolio includes biscuits, cookies, crackers, chocolate, baked snacks, gum and candy. Well-known brands include Oreo, Ritz, Chips Ahoy!, belVita, LU, Cadbury, Milka, Toblerone, Sour Patch Kids and Trident.

The company sells its products in countries around the world through grocery stores, convenience outlets, e-commerce channels and other retail and food-service locations. Its operations are organized around major geographic markets, including North America, Latin America, Europe and emerging markets across Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Mondelez was created in 2012 when Kraft Foods separated its global snack-food business from its North American grocery operations.

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