Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Mondelez International Put Options (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Key Points

• Mondelez International saw unusually heavy bearish options activity on Thursday, with 6,591 put options traded, about 88% above its normal volume of 3,503 puts.
• The stock edged lower, falling 1.2% to $60.15 during trading, while remaining near its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Fundamentals remain solid: Mondelez recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, and it continues to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, or $2.00 annually, for a 3.3% yield.

Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Investors purchased 6,591 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 88% compared to the typical volume of 3,503 put options.

Mondelez International Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of MDLZ traded down $0.71 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $60.15. The stock had a trading volume of 687,510 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,642,646. The company has a market cap of $77.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.92, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.39. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $60.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.17. Mondelez International has a 1-year low of $51.20 and a 1-year high of $70.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.06. Mondelez International had a net margin of 6.64% and a return on equity of 14.14%. The firm had revenue of $10.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.76 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Mondelez International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.920-3.060 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Mondelez International will post 3.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. Mondelez International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 99.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on MDLZ. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Mondelez International from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Mondelez International from $60.00 to $54.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 30th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Mondelez International from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Freedom Capital lowered Mondelez International from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Mondelez International in a report on Friday, May 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $66.44.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mondelez International

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ballast Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 26.2% during the second quarter. Ballast Inc. now owns 28,319 shares of the company's stock worth $1,638,000 after buying an additional 5,884 shares during the last quarter. Tema ETFs LLC grew its stake in shares of Mondelez International by 19.3% in the 2nd quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 25,804 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,493,000 after purchasing an additional 4,169 shares during the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB increased its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 43.1% in the second quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 34,835 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,015,000 after purchasing an additional 10,500 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Mondelez International during the second quarter worth approximately $1,257,000. Finally, First Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Mondelez International by 131.0% during the second quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 22,084 shares of the company's stock worth $1,277,000 after purchasing an additional 12,524 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.32% of the company's stock.

About Mondelez International

Mondelez International is a global snacks company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, formed in 2012 when Kraft Foods split to create a business focused on snack foods and a separate North American grocery company. Mondelez develops, manufactures, markets and distributes a broad portfolio of snack products intended for retail, foodservice and e‑commerce channels around the world.

The company's product mix centers on biscuits and cookies, chocolate and confectionery, gum and candy, and savory crackers and baked snacks.

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