Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) Shares Bought by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 7.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,378,557 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 165,176 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.18% of Mondelez International worth $142,380,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Mondelez International in the fourth quarter worth about $256,832,000. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 2,560.0% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,411,179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $203,749,000 after purchasing an additional 3,282,937 shares during the last quarter. Ilex Capital Partners UK LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Mondelez International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $219,045,000. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Mondelez International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $159,823,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,935,356 shares during the period. 78.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mondelez International Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MDLZ opened at $67.50 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The company has a 50-day moving average of $62.06 and a 200-day moving average of $64.94. Mondelez International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $53.95 and a twelve month high of $76.06. The firm has a market cap of $87.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.50.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last posted its quarterly 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 return on equity of 16.75% and a net margin of 12.68%. Analysts forecast that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mondelez International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.97%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MDLZ shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Mondelez International from $82.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Dbs Bank lowered shares of Mondelez International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Mondelez International from $76.00 to $63.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Mondelez International in a research note on Monday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 target price for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mondelez International has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.50.

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.