Park Avenue Securities LLC Increases Holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 18,470 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 486 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $971,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 152.0% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 824 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 497 shares in the last quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 16,085.7% during the third quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 1,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 1,126 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Monster Beverage by 84.9% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,185 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 544 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in Monster Beverage by 38.6% in the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.65, for a total value of $526,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MNST shares. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Friday, December 6th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. TD Cowen raised 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. Finally, BNP Paribas dropped their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Monster Beverage presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $55.47.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

Shares of MNST stock opened at $49.42 on Tuesday. 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 is $52.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.27. Monster Beverage Co. has a 12 month low of $43.32 and a 12 month high of $61.22. The company has a market capitalization of $48.06 billion, a PE ratio of 31.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.74.

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.