Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Raises Stake in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 408,055 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,199 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $21,443,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in Monster Beverage by 109.3% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 22,559,092 shares of the company's stock worth $1,176,913,000 after buying an additional 11,779,162 shares during the last quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. lifted its position in Monster Beverage by 250.9% in the fourth quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 3,468,660 shares of the company's stock worth $178,801,000 after buying an additional 2,480,291 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in Monster Beverage by 1,148.0% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,596,888 shares of the company's stock worth $135,480,000 after buying an additional 2,388,798 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Monster Beverage by 6.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 33,742,390 shares of the company's stock worth $1,760,341,000 after buying an additional 2,168,379 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the third quarter worth $73,600,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MNST traded up $0.64 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $51.69. The company had a trading volume of 6,517,695 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,293,231. 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 $50.27 billion, a PE ratio of 33.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.74. The business's 50 day moving average price is $50.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $50.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 3.13 and a quick ratio of 2.51.

Insider Transactions at Monster Beverage

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. The trade was a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 7.80% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MNST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. BNP Paribas cut their target price on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Argus lifted their target price on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $55.53.

About Monster Beverage

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.