Cincinnati Insurance Co. Purchases 290,000 Shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)

Cincinnati Insurance Co. grew its stake in shares of Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) by 33.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,159,500 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 290,000 shares during the period. Cincinnati Insurance Co.’s holdings in Mondelez International were worth $69,257,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Mondelez International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Mondelez International during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new stake in Mondelez International during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mondelez International in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Mondelez International during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors own 78.32% of the company’s stock.

Mondelez International Stock Up 1.8 %

MDLZ stock opened at $67.50 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $62.06 and a 200 day moving average of $64.94. The firm has a market cap of $87.31 billion, a PE ratio of 19.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.50. Mondelez International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $53.95 and a twelve month high of $76.06. 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 (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last posted 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 forecast that Mondelez International, Inc. will post 2.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mondelez International declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to repurchase $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 10.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Mondelez International’s payout ratio is 54.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Mondelez International from $75.00 to $69.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Dbs Bank cut shares of Mondelez International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Mondelez International in a research report on Monday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $69.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Mondelez International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $75.00 to $62.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Mondelez International from $67.00 to $62.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.50.

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.