Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 663 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Sentry Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 17.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,238 shares of the company’s stock after selling 663 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $162,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Stephens Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 360.0% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 506 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kings Path Partners LLC bought a new position in Monster Beverage during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MNST opened at $49.91 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.69 and a current ratio of 3.41. The firm has a market cap of $51.99 billion, a PE ratio of 31.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $48.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $52.52. Monster Beverage Co. has a one year low of $43.32 and a one year high of $61.22.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.04). Monster Beverage had a net margin of 22.84% and a return on equity of 22.23%. The firm had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.01 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.39 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.66 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on MNST. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 15th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $51.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $40.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Monster Beverage presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.85.

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.