Ballast Inc. Increases Stake in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Ballast Inc. increased its stake in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ - Free Report) by 39.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,260 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,481 shares during the quarter. Ballast Inc.'s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $1,150,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mondelez International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Mondelez International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Mondelez International by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 400 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mondelez International in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mondelez International during the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. 78.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mondelez International Stock Performance

Shares of Mondelez International stock traded down $0.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $57.86. 12,663,200 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,683,674. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $55.97 and a 12 month high of $77.20. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.25. The company has a market capitalization of $77.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.63.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $9.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.11 billion. Mondelez International had a return on equity of 17.53% and a net margin of 10.58%. Mondelez International's quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.82 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 3.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. Mondelez International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.67%.

Mondelez International announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $9.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 10.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on MDLZ. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $79.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Mondelez International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $78.00 to $67.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup cut their price target on Mondelez International from $78.00 to $71.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Mondelez International from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Mondelez International in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $82.00 target price on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $74.93.

About Mondelez International

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.