Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Stake Decreased by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. trimmed its position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 17.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,331,809 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,739,567 shares during the period. Monster Beverage makes up approximately 0.7% of Alliancebernstein L.P.'s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned 4.15% of Monster Beverage worth $2,119,840,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MNST. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 62.5% in the fourth quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 528 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

NASDAQ:MNST traded down $1.80 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $57.85. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,187,431 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,981,290. Monster Beverage Co. has a 52-week low of $43.32 and a 52-week high of $61.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a current ratio of 3.13. The business's 50-day moving average is $53.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.63. The company has a market capitalization of $56.30 billion, a PE ratio of 36.98, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71.

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

Insider Activity at Monster Beverage

In other Monster Beverage news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total transaction of $552,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 72,273 shares in the company, valued at $3,994,528.71. This represents a 12.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Mark J. Hall sold 12,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.50, for a total transaction of $654,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 296,846 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,178,107. The trade was a 3.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 208,316 shares of company stock valued at $11,484,440. 7.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MNST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $59.00 target price on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Citigroup boosted their target price on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $56.11.

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.