Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) Shares Sold by Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp

Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp trimmed its position in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 11,181 shares of the company’s stock after selling 730 shares during the period. Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $668,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Mondelez International by 174.0% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $263,000 after acquiring an additional 2,266 shares during the last quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC lifted its position in shares of Mondelez International by 2.2% during the third quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 7,641 shares of the company’s stock worth $563,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Mondelez International in the third quarter valued at $254,000. Radnor Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mondelez International during the third quarter worth $1,186,000. Finally, Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Mondelez International during the third quarter worth about $231,000. 78.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mondelez International Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of MDLZ stock opened at $66.30 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $59.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.61. Mondelez International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $53.95 and a twelve month high of $76.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.39, a P/E/G ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by ($0.01). Mondelez International had a return on equity of 16.75% and a net margin of 12.68%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Mondelez International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MDLZ. Dbs Bank lowered shares of Mondelez International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Argus lowered Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Barclays lowered their target price on Mondelez International from $69.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Mondelez International from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on Mondelez International from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.74.

Mondelez International 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.