Howard Capital Management Inc. Buys 1,162 Shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 38,838 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,162 shares during the quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $2,320,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mondelez International during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Mondelez International in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Mondelez International by 100.0% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Mondelez International in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new position in Mondelez International in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. 78.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on MDLZ. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Mondelez International from $61.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Piper Sandler downgraded Mondelez International from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $70.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup dropped their target price on Mondelez International from $78.00 to $71.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Argus cut Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Dbs Bank cut Mondelez International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One equities research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.74.

Mondelez International Stock Performance

Shares of Mondelez International stock opened at $64.70 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $58.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.54. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $53.95 and a 12 month high of $76.06. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by ($0.01). Mondelez International had a return on equity of 16.75% and a net margin of 12.68%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 EPS for the current year.

Mondelez International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors 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 yield of 2.91%. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.97%.

Mondelez International announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 10.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.