Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) Given Outperform Rating at Royal Bank of Canada

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reaffirmed by investment analysts at Royal Bank of Canada in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $75.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 29.56% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $75.00 to $62.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Mondelez International from $82.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Mondelez International from $79.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $61.00 target price (down previously from $74.00) on shares of Mondelez International in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Mondelez International from $76.00 to $63.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $73.18.

Mondelez International Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MDLZ traded up $0.76 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $57.89. The company had a trading volume of 1,737,935 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,926,787. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Mondelez International has a 52 week low of $55.97 and a 52 week high of $77.20. The firm has a market cap of $77.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.52, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.54. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $60.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.77.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $9.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.82 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Mondelez International will post 3.45 EPS for the current year.

Mondelez International declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Mondelez International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Axiom Advisory LLC raised its position in Mondelez International by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Axiom Advisory LLC now owns 9,152 shares of the company’s stock worth $643,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its position in Mondelez International by 16.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 1,058 shares of the company’s stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel raised its position in Mondelez International by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 11,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $811,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Mondelez International by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $894,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, Quent Capital LLC raised its position in Mondelez International by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 3,047 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. 78.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.