Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $77.64.

MDLZ has been the subject of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Mondelez International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $78.00 to $67.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $61.00 price target (down previously from $74.00) on shares of Mondelez International in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Mondelez International from $78.00 to $71.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Mondelez International in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $82.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on Mondelez International from $79.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th.

Mondelez International Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MDLZ remained flat at $58.29 during trading hours on Thursday. 8,330,810 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,420,057. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $62.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.65. The stock has a market cap of $77.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.54. Mondelez International has a 1 year low of $57.67 and a 1 year high of $77.20. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.14. Mondelez International had a return on equity of 17.53% and a net margin of 10.58%. The company had revenue of $9.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.82 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mondelez International will post 3.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mondelez International announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $9.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 10.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.23%. Mondelez International's dividend payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

Institutional Trading of Mondelez International

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MDLZ. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its position in Mondelez International by 12,057.4% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 12,574,000 shares of the company's stock worth $926,327,000 after acquiring an additional 12,470,573 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Mondelez International by 40.2% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 16,726,114 shares of the company's stock worth $1,094,557,000 after buying an additional 4,794,746 shares in the last quarter. Ilex Capital Partners UK LLP bought a new position in Mondelez International during the 3rd quarter worth $219,045,000. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Mondelez International by 14.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 18,255,657 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,344,894,000 after acquiring an additional 2,268,639 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Mondelez International during the 3rd quarter valued at $159,823,000. 78.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.