Essex Financial Services Inc. Has $1.10 Million Holdings in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 2.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 18,398 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 520 shares during the period. Essex Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $1,099,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its holdings in Mondelez International by 16.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 1,058 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel lifted its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 11,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $811,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Mondelez International by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $894,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Canopy Partners LLC increased its stake in Mondelez International by 1.2% in the third quarter. Canopy Partners LLC now owns 13,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $982,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. Finally, Hardy Reed LLC raised its position in Mondelez International by 1.4% in the third quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 11,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $848,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. 78.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on MDLZ. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Mondelez International from $67.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Mondelez International from $68.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. DZ Bank lowered Mondelez International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $52.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Mondelez International from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Mondelez International from $75.00 to $69.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.72.

Mondelez International Price Performance

Shares of MDLZ stock opened at $60.45 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.68, a PEG ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.54. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $59.20 and its 200-day moving average is $66.30. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $53.95 and a 1 year high of $76.06.

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

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.11%. 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.