Motco Boosts Stake in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Key Points

• Motco increased its position in Mondelez International by 3.5% in the first quarter, bringing its total ownership to 139,011 shares valued at approximately $9.43 million.
• Analyst ratings for Mondelez have improved, with several brokerages upgrading their target prices, ranging from $70.00 to $78.00, indicating a bullish outlook on the stock.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.47, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 2.66%, with a payout ratio of 69.89%.

Motco increased its holdings in shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ - Free Report) by 3.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 139,011 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,755 shares during the quarter. Motco's holdings in Mondelez International were worth $9,432,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its position 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 period. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc lifted its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc now owns 2,681 shares of the company's stock valued at $160,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 11.1% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,688 shares of the company's stock valued at $115,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Sage Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Sage Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 4,921 shares of the company's stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, Verus Financial Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 3.7% in the 1st 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 owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of 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 stock from $68.00 to $78.00 in a research report on Friday, June 20th. Barclays boosted their target price on Mondelez International from $71.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Mondelez International from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. DA Davidson downgraded Mondelez International from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $66.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Mondelez International from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.72.

Mondelez International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MDLZ traded up $0.40 during trading on Friday, reaching $70.58. The company had a trading volume of 4,520,788 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,836,958. Mondelez International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $53.95 and a twelve month high of $76.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.39 billion, a PE ratio of 26.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.31 and a beta of 0.48. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $67.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $65.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.07. Mondelez International had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 9.90%. The firm had revenue of $9.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.93 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 14th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.66%. Mondelez International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.89%.

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.