Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) Stock Position Decreased by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lowered its holdings in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 6.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 72,226 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,004 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $4,314,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 197,937 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,823,000 after purchasing an additional 5,619 shares during the last quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Mondelez International in the fourth quarter worth $367,000. PDS Planning Inc lifted its stake in Mondelez International by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 5,315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $317,000 after buying an additional 651 shares during the last quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $664,000 after acquiring an additional 888 shares during the period. Finally, RD Lewis Holdings Inc. bought a new position in shares of Mondelez International during the fourth quarter worth about $235,000. 78.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mondelez International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MDLZ opened at $64.00 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $82.79 billion, a PE ratio of 18.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.50. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $61.07 and a 200-day moving average of $65.24. Mondelez International, Inc. has a one year low of $53.95 and a one year high of $76.06.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.65 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.97%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MDLZ. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Mondelez International from $75.00 to $69.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Argus cut Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group decreased 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. Citigroup cut their target price on Mondelez International from $78.00 to $71.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Dbs Bank lowered Mondelez International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.74.

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.