Verus Financial Partners Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Verus Financial Partners Inc. lessened its stake in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,888 shares of the company’s stock after selling 233 shares during the quarter. Verus Financial Partners Inc.’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $275,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mondelez International during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mondelez International in the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mondelez International during the third quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mondelez International in the third quarter valued at about $45,000. 78.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Mondelez International from $76.00 to $63.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Mondelez International from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $61.00 price objective (down previously from $74.00) on shares of Mondelez International in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Mondelez International from $67.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $78.00 to $71.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.76.

Mondelez International Stock Down 0.7 %

Mondelez International stock opened at $57.99 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.54. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $55.97 and a twelve month high of $77.20. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $60.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.67.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.82 EPS. Mondelez International’s revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid 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 3.24%. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

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.