Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Cuts Stock Position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System trimmed its position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 108,700 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,700 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $5,713,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its position in Monster Beverage by 62.5% during the fourth quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 13,578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $714,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its position in Monster Beverage by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 6,991 shares of the company’s stock worth $367,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the period. Accretive Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Monster Beverage by 1.3% in the third quarter. Accretive Wealth Partners LLC now owns 17,821 shares of the company’s stock worth $930,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sapient Capital LLC boosted its position in Monster Beverage by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 46,082 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,422,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Monster Beverage news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. The trade was a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Monster Beverage Stock Up 0.2 %

NASDAQ:MNST opened at $48.17 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 3.13 and a quick ratio of 2.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $50.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $51.02. The company has a market capitalization of $46.85 billion, a PE ratio of 30.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.74. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1-year low of $43.32 and a 1-year high of $61.22.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Argus lifted their price objective on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 price target on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday, December 6th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.53.

Monster Beverage 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.