Merit Financial Group LLC Trims Stake in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Merit Financial Group LLC lowered its holdings in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 15.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 49,206 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,911 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $3,564,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Mondelez International by 48.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 4,948,322 shares of the company’s stock worth $343,411,000 after purchasing an additional 1,623,588 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its position in shares of Mondelez International by 44.5% during the 3rd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 3,766,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $261,370,000 after acquiring an additional 1,159,900 shares in the last quarter. J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mondelez International during the 3rd quarter worth about $71,311,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Mondelez International by 38.1% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,264,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $226,531,000 after acquiring an additional 900,445 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Mondelez International by 52.7% during the 3rd quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 2,430,258 shares of the company’s stock worth $168,660,000 after acquiring an additional 838,651 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.32% of the company’s stock.

Mondelez International Price Performance

Shares of MDLZ traded down $0.61 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $69.89. The company had a trading volume of 8,093,601 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,882,163. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Mondelez International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $60.75 and a 12-month high of $78.54. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $70.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $70.86. The company has a market capitalization of $94.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.19, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.55.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $9.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.16 billion. Mondelez International had a net margin of 11.87% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.89 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 3.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MDLZ has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Barclays decreased their target price on Mondelez International from $84.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Mondelez International from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Mondelez International from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Mondelez International from $87.00 to $84.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Mondelez International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $80.75.

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.