Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Mondelez International, Inc. (MDLZ), has built its empire on snacks that have become household names. The company’s portfolio spans chocolate, biscuits, and baked goods, while also branching into locally relevant categories such as gum and candy, cheese and grocery, and powdered beverages. 

Its brands resonate globally and locally alike, from Oreo, Ritz, LU, Clif Bar, and Tate’s Bake Shop to Cadbury Dairy Milk, Milka, and Toblerone, establishing its presence in over 150 countries. With a market cap hovering around $80 billion, Mondelez firmly sits in the “large-cap” category, signaling both scale and reach in the consumer staples landscape.

Shares of MDLZ are trading roughly 19.4% below their September 2024 high of $76.06. Over the past three months, the stock has declined nearly 8.6%, while the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) recorded a modest 2.7% plunge.

Over a longer horizon, MDLZ has retreated 15.2% over the past 52 weeks. Yet, it has managed to preserve a modest 2.6% gain year-to-date. In comparison, XLP has experienced a smaller pullback of nearly 3% over the same 52-week span, while recording a 2.5% advance so far in 2025. 

Highlighting its muted momentum, MDLZ’s stock has been trading consistently below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages since late July, signaling that short-term pressure persists. 

The recent setback came after the company posted its Q2 fiscal 2025 earnings on Jul. 29, and investors weren’t happy. Shares of the confectionery giant tanked more than 6% the next trading session as the results painted a mixed picture. Revenue jumped 7.7% year over year to $8.98 billion and came in above Street expectations of $8.88 billion. 

On the other hand, adjusted EPS exceeded Wall Street forecasts of $0.68 yet fell 12% from the prior year’s quarter to $0.73. Soaring cocoa costs chewed into profitability, with adjusted gross profit also sliding 680 basis points to 33.7%. Adding to investor worries, management stuck with its guidance for a steep earnings drop in 2025, citing “unprecedented cocoa cost inflation” as the biggest hurdle ahead.

To put MDLZ’s performance into perspective, its rival General Mills, Inc. (GIS) has faced a much steeper decline, plunging 31.5% over the past 52 weeks and 22% year-to-date, underscoring that while MDLZ has struggled, it has fared relatively better within the consumer staples space.

Even with recent setbacks and weak price action, analysts remain confident in MDLZ’s long-term trajectory. The stock has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the 25 analysts in coverage, and the mean price target of $74.26 is a premium of 21.1% to current levels.