Advocate Group LLC Sells 3,130 Shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Advocate Group LLC lessened its holdings in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 21.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,625 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,130 shares during the period. Advocate Group LLC’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $694,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its position in Mondelez International by 12,057.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 12,574,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,327,000 after purchasing an additional 12,470,573 shares during the period. Ilex Capital Partners UK LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Mondelez International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $219,045,000. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Mondelez International by 14.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 18,255,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,344,894,000 after buying an additional 2,268,639 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Mondelez International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $159,823,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in shares of Mondelez International by 173.7% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 3,049,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $224,652,000 after buying an additional 1,935,356 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.32% of the company’s stock.

Mondelez International Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ MDLZ opened at $57.42 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $60.74 and a 200-day moving average of $66.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.36, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.54. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $55.97 and a 12 month high of $77.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $9.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.82 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 3.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mondelez International announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $9.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 10.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Mondelez International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.27%. Mondelez International’s payout ratio is 66.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on MDLZ shares. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $75.00 to $62.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Mondelez International from $78.00 to $71.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Mondelez International in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $67.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Mondelez International from $82.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $73.06.

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.