Short Interest in Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) Expands By 22.5%

Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 39,694,287 shares, an increase of 22.5% from the March 15th total of 32,400,332 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 11,629,106 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.4 days. Currently, 3.1% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Mondelez International Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ MDLZ traded up $0.18 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $57.25. 8,239,918 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,060,576. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.59. Mondelez International has a 52 week low of $51.20 and a 52 week high of $71.15. The company has a market cap of $73.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.45, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $58.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $57.75.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $10.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.32 billion. Mondelez International had a return on equity of 14.53% and a net margin of 6.36%.The firm’s revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.65 earnings per share. Mondelez International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.920-3.070 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Mondelez International will post 2.9 EPS for the current year.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. Mondelez International’s payout ratio is presently 106.38%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Mondelez International from $68.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Mondelez International from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Rothschild & Co Redburn reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective (down from $71.00) on shares of Mondelez International in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Mondelez International from $63.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Mondelez International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mondelez International news, EVP Gustavo Carlos Valle sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.00, for a total value of $186,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 99,596 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,174,952. This trade represents a 2.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MDLZ. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Mondelez International by 3.1% in the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 726,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,411,000 after purchasing an additional 22,194 shares during the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. raised its stake in shares of Mondelez International by 70.5% in the third quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 469,058 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,302,000 after purchasing an additional 193,956 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of Mondelez International by 32.2% in the 3rd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 147,913 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,240,000 after buying an additional 36,037 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 8.0% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 622,082 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,220,000 after acquiring an additional 46,182 shares during the period. Finally, Confluence Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 324.5% in the third quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 2,223,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $138,928,000 after acquiring an additional 1,699,980 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.32% of the company’s stock.

About Mondelez International

Mondelez International is a global snacks company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, formed in 2012 when Kraft Foods split to create a business focused on snack foods and a separate North American grocery company. Mondelez develops, manufactures, markets and distributes a broad portfolio of snack products intended for retail, foodservice and e?commerce channels around the world.

The company’s product mix centers on biscuits and cookies, chocolate and confectionery, gum and candy, and savory crackers and baked snacks.