Kentucky Retirement Systems Sells 1,264 Shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Kentucky Retirement Systems lessened its stake in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 91,795 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,264 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Mondelez International were worth $5,483,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mondelez International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mondelez International in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new position in Mondelez International in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Mondelez International by 100.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Mondelez International during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. 78.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Mondelez International from $61.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $75.00 to $69.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Mondelez International from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Mondelez International from $78.00 to $71.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $75.00 to $62.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mondelez International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.74.

Mondelez International Price Performance

Shares of MDLZ stock opened at $62.17 on Friday. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $53.95 and a 1 year high of $76.06. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $58.92 and its 200-day moving average is $65.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.18, a PEG ratio of 4.32 and a beta of 0.54.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mondelez International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. Mondelez International’s payout ratio is 54.97%.

Mondelez International declared that its board has initiated a share 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 generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

About Mondelez International

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.