First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. Decreases Stake in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its position in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 28.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 52,971 shares of the company’s stock after selling 20,679 shares during the period. First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $3,164,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in Mondelez International by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 289,931 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,318,000 after acquiring an additional 17,815 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Private Trust Co. grew its holdings in Mondelez International by 33.2% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Private Trust Co. now owns 3,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $229,000 after buying an additional 957 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Investment Group purchased a new position in Mondelez International during the 4th quarter valued at about $313,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in Mondelez International by 1,904.9% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 425,805 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,369,000 after buying an additional 404,567 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Mondelez International by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 114,436 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,430,000 after buying an additional 14,278 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.32% of the company’s stock.

Mondelez International Price Performance

Shares of Mondelez International stock opened at $58.53 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $59.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $66.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.54. Mondelez International, Inc. has a one year low of $53.95 and a one year high of $76.06.

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

Mondelez International declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MDLZ has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Mondelez International from $75.00 to $69.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Mondelez International from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Mondelez International from $67.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Mondelez International from $82.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler downgraded Mondelez International from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $70.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mondelez International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.72.

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.