Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 5.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 160,125 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,761 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $8,416,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. boosted its position in Monster Beverage by 62.5% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of Monster Beverage stock opened at $55.23 on Wednesday. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1 year low of $43.32 and a 1 year high of $61.22. 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 stock has a market cap of $53.75 billion, a PE ratio of 35.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $50.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.63.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 23.31%. Equities research analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

In related news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total transaction of $5,057,080.08. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 76,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,220,011.38. This represents a 54.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The shares were 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 directly owns 74,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,944,748.60. The trade was a 11.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on MNST. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 price objective on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Monster Beverage currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $55.83.

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.