ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 674,877 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,168 shares during the period. Mondelez International comprises 1.7% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. owned about 0.05% of Mondelez International worth $40,310,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MDLZ. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in Mondelez International in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Mondelez International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 100.0% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 400 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Mondelez International during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Mondelez International during the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.32% of the company’s stock.

Mondelez International Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of MDLZ stock opened at $57.86 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $61.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $67.26. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $55.97 and a 52 week high of $77.20. The stock has a market cap of $77.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.52, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $9.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.11 billion. Mondelez International had a return on equity of 17.53% and a net margin of 10.58%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.82 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 3.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mondelez International announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan 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 plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Mondelez International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MDLZ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Mondelez International from $79.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Mondelez International in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $82.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $61.00 price objective (down previously from $74.00) on shares of Mondelez International in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Mondelez International from $79.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $78.00 to $67.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mondelez International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.93.

Mondelez International Company 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.