Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Buys 2,452 Shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 6.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,847 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,452 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $2,399,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in Mondelez International during the third quarter worth $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Mondelez International in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Mondelez International in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new stake in Mondelez International in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Mondelez International in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors own 78.32% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MDLZ shares. DZ Bank lowered shares of Mondelez International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $52.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $76.00 to $63.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $69.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $67.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.74.

Mondelez International Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ MDLZ opened at $67.74 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $60.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.56. The company has a market cap of $87.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $53.95 and a 12-month high of $76.06.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last issued its quarterly 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 return on equity of 16.75% and a net margin of 12.68%. On average, research analysts expect that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.78%. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.97%.

Mondelez International announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $9.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 10.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign 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.