Food conglomerate Mondelez International (NASDAQ: MDLZ) recently beat earnings expectations and strengthened its outlook for the future, but still has suffered in the days since its October 29 earnings announcement. Mondelez, an Illinois-based company that took control of many former Kraft brands in a 2012 spinoff of the Chicago food titan, earned 64 cents per share in its most recent earnings report, a few cents over the projection of 60 cents. The maker of Oreos and other such popular snack foods closed at $52.02 a share the Friday after its earnings report, slightly down from where it was prior to the earnings announcement. A steady stream of investment into its global brands has boosted Mondelez's expectations recently, with good institutional money backing a buy and hold strategy.
Future outlooks for Mondelez look rather optimistic. The company is expecting a 5 to 7% increase in earnings per share for the next year and analysts have stock price targets between the present value of $52 per share and $64 a share. Much of this growth is expected to come from emerging markets, a place where Mondelez has put a lot of money in recent years. This past year alone, Mondelez invested $150 million in emerging markets such as the Middle East and Latin America. They hope to build brand loyalty in places where free trade has recently opened up economies, especially considering their lagging growth in developed markets like the United States and Canada.
Mondelez is in a unique position to succeed in the packaged food industry, with other companies like Kraft Heinz (NYSE: KHC) suffering from an aging portfolio that is unappealing to younger consumers. Mondelez, unlike Kraft Heinz, has pursued aggressive investment in emerging markets, in stark contrast to the cost-cutting paradigm that Kraft Heinz has followed recently. Even with the slight decline in share price from the earnings announcement, Mondelez's improved long-term outlook should lead investors to take a second look at this massive food company.