Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Shares Sold by AIA Group Ltd

AIA Group Ltd decreased its position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 35.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,315 shares of the company’s stock after selling 18,669 shares during the quarter. AIA Group Ltd’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $1,977,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Peoples Bank KS acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Quarry LP raised its holdings in Monster Beverage by 276.1% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 504 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.11.

Monster Beverage Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of MNST stock opened at $53.38 on Friday. Monster Beverage Co. has a twelve month low of $47.13 and a twelve month high of $61.22. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $57.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.49. The company has a market capitalization of $55.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.49, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.72.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 22.84% and a return on equity of 20.95%. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.76 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.28 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Monster Beverage

In other Monster Beverage news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 659,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.55, for a total value of $38,584,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 777,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,542,532. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 9.40% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Company Profile

Monster Beverage Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in development, marketing, sale, and distribution of energy drink beverages and concentrates in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Monster Energy Drinks, Strategic Brands, Alcohol Brands, and Other.