Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 271,755 Shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lessened its stake in shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 19.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,149,106 shares of the company’s stock after selling 271,755 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $68,636,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mondelez International during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new position in Mondelez International in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Mondelez International during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mondelez International during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mondelez International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 78.32% of the company’s stock.

Mondelez International Trading Down 2.3 %

MDLZ opened at $66.31 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $85.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $63.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $64.54. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $53.95 and a 1-year high of $76.06.

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

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

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MDLZ shares. DZ Bank lowered shares of Mondelez International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $52.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, February 7th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Mondelez International from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Dbs Bank lowered Mondelez International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Mondelez International from $67.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Mondelez International from $82.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.20.

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.