Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 40,156,059 shares, a growth of 26.9% from the December 15th total of 31,640,208 shares. Currently, 3.1% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 11,253,446 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.6 days. Based on an average daily volume of 11,253,446 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.6 days. Currently, 3.1% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MDLZ has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Mondelez International from $72.00 to $62.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 5th. DA Davidson dropped their price target on shares of Mondelez International from $65.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Zacks Research lowered Mondelez International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Mondelez International from $68.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Mondelez International from $71.00 to $67.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.00.

Mondelez International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MDLZ traded down $0.06 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $57.24. 12,018,008 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,698,700. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.44 and a beta of 0.39. Mondelez International has a one year low of $51.20 and a one year high of $71.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The company’s 50 day moving average is $55.26 and its 200 day moving average is $60.38.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $9.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.76 billion. Mondelez International had a net margin of 9.38% and a return on equity of 14.16%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share. Mondelez International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.860-2.860 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Mondelez International will post 2.9 EPS for the current year.

Mondelez International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. Mondelez International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.91%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mondelez International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Mondelez International in the second quarter valued at about $1,239,834,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Mondelez International by 17.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 69,588,126 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,347,170,000 after purchasing an additional 10,137,457 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of Mondelez International by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 78,561,316 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,907,892,000 after purchasing an additional 6,958,868 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Mondelez International by 197.9% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,066,155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $274,221,000 after acquiring an additional 2,701,229 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of Mondelez International by 103.2% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,192,301 shares of the company’s stock valued at $324,363,000 after purchasing an additional 2,637,287 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.32% of the company’s stock.

Mondelez International Company Profile

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.