Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Acquires 111,819 Shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 44.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 360,886 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 111,819 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $21,556,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd grew its position in shares of Mondelez International by 430.0% in the 4th quarter. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd now owns 92,413 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,520,000 after buying an additional 74,975 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank raised its stake in Mondelez International by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 289,931 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,318,000 after buying an additional 17,815 shares during the period. Buckingham Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Mondelez International by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. Buckingham Capital Management Inc. now owns 93,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,578,000 after buying an additional 18,961 shares during the period. Legacy Private Trust Co. increased its holdings in Mondelez International by 33.2% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Private Trust Co. now owns 3,841 shares of the company’s stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 957 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennedy Investment Group bought a new stake in Mondelez International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $313,000. Institutional investors own 78.32% of the company’s stock.

Mondelez International Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MDLZ opened at $68.15 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $60.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.50. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $53.95 and a 12-month high of $76.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.93, 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 data 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 net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 16.75%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Mondelez International announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.76%. Mondelez International’s payout ratio is presently 54.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MDLZ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays decreased their price objective on Mondelez International from $69.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Mondelez International from $61.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group dropped 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. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Mondelez International from $67.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mondelez International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.74.

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.