Choate Investment Advisors Boosts Stake in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Choate Investment Advisors lifted its position in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 51.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,336 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,853 shares during the quarter. Choate Investment Advisors’ holdings in Mondelez International were worth $678,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mondelez International during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mondelez International in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Mondelez International in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new position in Mondelez International in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Mondelez International during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.32% of the company’s stock.

Mondelez International Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of MDLZ stock opened at $64.31 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $83.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.80, a PEG 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. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $60.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.34. Mondelez International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $53.95 and a twelve month high of $76.06.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 16.75%. Research analysts forecast that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mondelez International declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 10.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on MDLZ. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $75.00 to $69.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Mondelez International from $67.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $78.00 to $71.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Mondelez International from $69.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Mondelez International from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.74.

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.