Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,465,809 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,085 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $207,013,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MDLZ. Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its holdings in Mondelez International by 12,057.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 12,574,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,327,000 after acquiring an additional 12,470,573 shares during the period. Ilex Capital Partners UK LLP purchased a new position in Mondelez International during the 3rd quarter valued at $219,045,000. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Mondelez International by 14.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 18,255,657 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,344,894,000 after acquiring an additional 2,268,639 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new position in Mondelez International during the 3rd quarter valued at $159,823,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in Mondelez International by 173.7% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 3,049,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $224,652,000 after acquiring an additional 1,935,356 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.32% of the company’s stock.

Mondelez International Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MDLZ opened at $58.45 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $59.47 and its 200 day moving average is $66.41. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $53.95 and a 1 year high of $76.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.42.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last announced 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 10.58% and a return on equity of 17.53%. On average, research analysts predict that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mondelez International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

Mondelez International announced that its board has authorized a stock 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 generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MDLZ. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Mondelez International in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America lifted their target price on Mondelez International from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Mondelez International from $75.00 to $69.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Barclays decreased their target price on Mondelez International from $69.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Mondelez International from $82.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mondelez International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.72.

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.