Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Here’s Why

Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) saw unusually-high trading volume on Friday . Approximately 4,018,446 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 42% from the previous session’s volume of 6,968,583 shares.The stock last traded at $59.54 and had previously closed at $59.27.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup cut their target price on Mondelez International from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Mondelez International from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Mondelez International from $79.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Mondelez International in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $82.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $79.07.

Mondelez International Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The business has a 50-day moving average of $65.93 and a 200-day moving average of $68.38. The company has a market capitalization of $79.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.53.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last released its quarterly 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. Mondelez International had a net margin of 10.58% and a return on equity of 17.53%. The firm had revenue of $9.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.82 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 3.48 EPS for the current year.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.17%. Mondelez International’s payout ratio is 66.67%.

Mondelez International declared that its board has initiated 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 buy up to 10.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Mondelez International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MDLZ. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in Mondelez International in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mondelez International during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Mondelez International by 100.0% during the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Mondelez International in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Mondelez International in the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.32% of the company’s stock.

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.