Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. Buys 2,815 Shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 77,304 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,815 shares during the quarter. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $4,617,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MDLZ. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Mondelez International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $256,832,000. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of Mondelez International by 2,560.0% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,411,179 shares of the company’s stock worth $203,749,000 after purchasing an additional 3,282,937 shares during the period. Ilex Capital Partners UK LLP acquired a new position in shares of Mondelez International during the third quarter worth approximately $219,045,000. FMR LLC grew its position in Mondelez International by 14.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 18,255,657 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,344,894,000 after purchasing an additional 2,268,639 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in Mondelez International during the 3rd quarter valued at $159,823,000. Institutional investors own 78.32% of the company’s stock.

Mondelez International Trading Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ:MDLZ opened at $64.65 on Wednesday. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $53.95 and a 12 month 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 $60.95 and its 200 day moving average is $65.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.63 billion, a PE ratio of 18.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.50.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 expect that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Mondelez International declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to repurchase $9.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 10.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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 paid a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MDLZ shares. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Mondelez International from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from $75.00 to $62.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays lowered their price objective on Mondelez International from $69.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Mondelez International from $75.00 to $69.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on Mondelez International from $78.00 to $71.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.74.

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.