Payden & Rygel Sells 115,000 Shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Payden & Rygel lessened its holdings in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 96.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,570 shares of the company’s stock after selling 115,000 shares during the period. Payden & Rygel’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $273,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mondelez International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new position in Mondelez International during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mondelez International during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mondelez International in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mondelez International in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.32% of the company’s stock.

Mondelez International Stock Down 2.3 %

Mondelez International stock opened at $66.31 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $85.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.39, a PEG ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.47. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $53.95 and a 52-week high of $76.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $63.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $64.61.

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

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

Mondelez International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.84%. Mondelez International’s payout ratio is currently 54.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MDLZ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Mondelez International from $78.00 to $71.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Mondelez International from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Mondelez International from $76.00 to $63.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Mondelez International from $82.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Mondelez International from $67.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.20.

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.