Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Key Points

• Unusual options activity: Traders bought 12,039 call options on MDLZ (about a 208% increase versus typical volume), indicating notable speculative or hedged bullish interest.
• Q1 results mixed: Mondelez beat expectations with revenue of $10.08B and EPS of $0.67, driven by emerging-market growth and pricing strength, but margins and adjusted EPS were pressured and FY2026 guidance of $2.92–$3.06 sits slightly below Street consensus.
• Insider and institutional moves: EVP Gustavo Carlos Valle sold 3,000 shares at $62; corporate insiders own ~0.45% while institutional investors hold about 78.3% of the stock.

Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors bought 12,039 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 208% compared to the typical volume of 3,915 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Gustavo Carlos Valle sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.00, for a total transaction of $186,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 99,596 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,174,952. This represents a 2.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.45% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mondelez International

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. United Asset Strategies Inc. increased its position in Mondelez International by 140.5% during the 1st quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 15,416 shares of the company's stock worth $889,000 after purchasing an additional 9,006 shares in the last quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. grew its stake in Mondelez International by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. now owns 4,551 shares of the company's stock worth $262,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Collaborative Fund Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Mondelez International in the 1st quarter valued at $2,047,000. Westfuller Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 23.4% during the first quarter. Westfuller Advisors LLC now owns 1,948 shares of the company's stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 369 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Columbia Bank grew its position in shares of Mondelez International by 5.0% in the first quarter. Columbia Bank now owns 10,786 shares of the company's stock valued at $622,000 after purchasing an additional 510 shares during the period. 78.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Mondelez International

Here are the key news stories impacting Mondelez International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 revenue and headline EPS beat expectations — revenue $10.08B vs. $9.76B est. (up 8.2% Y/Y) and reported EPS $0.67 vs. $0.61 est., showing demand strength and pricing power. Mondelez Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Up 8.2% Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Emerging markets led growth and company highlighted pricing strength; management also returned $0.6B to shareholders and reported solid operating cash flow — items that support investor confidence. Mondelēz International Reports Q1 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Barclays raised its price target to $68 and kept an overweight rating, signaling further upside from current levels. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call-option volume was reported (12,039 calls, a >200% increase vs. typical), suggesting speculative or hedged bullish interest from traders.
• Neutral Sentiment: Full materials and management commentary are available — earnings-call transcript and slide deck were posted for investors who want granular detail on region and category performance. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability and margins were under pressure: adjusted EPS was down ~15% on a constant-currency basis and net margin weakened due to higher costs, which tempers the beat. Mondelez Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Up 8.2% Y/Y
• Negative Sentiment: FY 2026 EPS guidance of $2.920–$3.060 is slightly below the Street consensus (~$3.02), which may limit near-term upside until margin trajectory is clearer. Q1 Press Release / Guidance

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MDLZ. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Mondelez International from $63.00 to $62.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on shares of Mondelez International from $75.00 to $73.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Mondelez International in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Mondelez International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Mondelez International in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $66.53.

Mondelez International Price Performance

Mondelez International stock traded up $3.14 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $61.68. The stock had a trading volume of 7,440,208 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,407,623. Mondelez International has a 1-year low of $51.20 and a 1-year high of $71.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.82, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.37. The stock's fifty day moving average is $57.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $57.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.39.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $10.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.76 billion. Mondelez International had a return on equity of 14.53% and a net margin of 6.36%.The business's revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.76 EPS. Mondelez International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.920-3.060 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Mondelez International will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. Mondelez International's dividend payout ratio is presently 106.38%.

Mondelez International Company Profile

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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