Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC Raises Holdings in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 19.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,655 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the period. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $218,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MDLZ. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in Mondelez International by 91.3% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 174,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,416,000 after acquiring an additional 83,280 shares during the period. AXA S.A. grew its stake in Mondelez International by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 554,091 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,260,000 after acquiring an additional 4,453 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Mondelez International by 52.4% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,644,768 shares of the company’s stock worth $107,634,000 after acquiring an additional 565,416 shares during the period. Employees Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in Mondelez International by 17.9% in the 2nd quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas now owns 1,018,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,664,000 after acquiring an additional 154,700 shares during the period. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. purchased a new stake in Mondelez International in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,910,000. 78.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on MDLZ. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Mondelez International from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $61.00 price target (down previously from $74.00) on shares of Mondelez International in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Mondelez International in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $79.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $76.00 to $63.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.81.

Mondelez International Stock Performance

Mondelez International stock opened at $56.96 on Friday. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $55.97 and a 12-month high of $77.20. The company has a market capitalization of $76.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.20, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $61.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.06.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.14. Mondelez International had a net margin of 10.58% and a return on equity of 17.53%. The firm had revenue of $9.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.82 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 3.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.67%.

Mondelez International announced that its board has authorized 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 reacquire up to 10.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.