Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) Shares Sold by Kesler Norman & Wride LLC

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC lowered its position in shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 8.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 23,630 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,103 shares during the period. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $1,411,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Mondelez International by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 17,423,363 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,040,697,000 after buying an additional 208,181 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Mondelez International by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 29,969 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,790,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mondelez International during the fourth quarter worth about $4,109,000. Boston Family Office LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mondelez International by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Boston Family Office LLC now owns 30,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,815,000 after acquiring an additional 1,396 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Mondelez International by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 28,913,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,721,954,000 after purchasing an additional 708,523 shares during the last quarter. 78.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mondelez International Price Performance

NASDAQ MDLZ opened at $67.65 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $62.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $64.65. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $53.95 and a 52 week high of $76.06. The stock has a market cap of $87.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Analysts forecast that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 EPS for the current year.

Mondelez International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.78%. Mondelez International’s payout ratio is 54.97%.

Mondelez International announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $9.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 10.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MDLZ shares. UBS Group cut their target price on Mondelez International from $76.00 to $63.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from $75.00 to $62.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Mondelez International in a report on Monday, March 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Mondelez International from $61.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Mondelez International from $82.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have issued 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 $69.50.

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.