Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Insider Sells $5,057,080.08 in Stock

Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total transaction of $5,057,080.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 76,201 shares in the company, valued at $4,220,011.38. This represents a 54.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Monster Beverage stock opened at $55.07 on Friday. 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 fifty day moving average price is $50.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $51.44. The company has a market capitalization of $53.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.74. Monster Beverage Co. has a 12-month low of $43.32 and a 12-month high of $61.22.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 23.31% and a net margin of 21.66%. On average, research analysts forecast that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MNST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 target price on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, BNP Paribas decreased their target price on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Monster Beverage has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $55.83.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Monster Beverage

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter worth $1,214,000. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in Monster Beverage by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 154,125 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,101,000 after acquiring an additional 7,780 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 251,570 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,124,000 after purchasing an additional 15,611 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 151,364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,897,000 after purchasing an additional 9,496 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Miracle Mile Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth about $7,090,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.