Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Buys 452 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. raised its position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 8.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,100 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 452 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $321,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter worth about $1,214,000. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in Monster Beverage by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 154,125 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,101,000 after purchasing an additional 7,780 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 15,611 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 6.7% during 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 in the fourth quarter worth $7,090,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total value of $5,057,080.08. Following the sale, the insider now owns 76,201 shares in the company, valued at $4,220,011.38. The trade was 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. Also, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the company’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $3,944,748.60. This trade represents a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 7.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Monster Beverage Trading Down 1.1 %

NASDAQ MNST opened at $55.07 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $50.55 and a 200-day moving average of $51.51. The company has a current ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1-year low of $43.32 and a 1-year high of $61.22. The firm has a market cap of $53.59 billion, a PE ratio of 35.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on MNST. BNP Paribas dropped their price objective on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Argus upped their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Monster Beverage has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $55.83.

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.