Appleton Partners Inc. MA Trims Stock Holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Appleton Partners Inc. MA lowered its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 125,338 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,859 shares during the quarter. Appleton Partners Inc. MA’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $6,588,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at $1,214,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Monster Beverage by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 251,570 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,124,000 after buying an additional 15,611 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in Monster Beverage by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 151,364 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,897,000 after acquiring an additional 9,496 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth approximately $7,090,000. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the third quarter valued at approximately $630,000. Institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

MNST opened at $46.57 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $45.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 2.51, a current ratio of 3.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $51.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $51.07. Monster Beverage Co. has a 52-week low of $43.32 and a 52-week high of $61.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Monster Beverage news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.65, for a total transaction of $526,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 74,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. The trade was a 11.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 7.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th. Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Friday, December 6th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. BNP Paribas lowered their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $55.42.

About Monster Beverage

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.