Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Purchases 16,689 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 9.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 191,310 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 16,689 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC's holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $10,055,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 4.8% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 24,921 shares of the company's stock worth $1,300,000 after acquiring an additional 1,137 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in Monster Beverage by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 39,187 shares of the company's stock worth $2,045,000 after buying an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC grew its holdings in Monster Beverage by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 14,057 shares of the company's stock worth $733,000 after buying an additional 733 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Monster Beverage by 32.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 12,688 shares of the company's stock worth $662,000 after buying an additional 3,116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in Monster Beverage in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,272,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.36% of the company's stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

In other 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 value of $5,057,080.08. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 76,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,220,011.38. This represents a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Guy Carling sold 47,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.02, for a total transaction of $2,585,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 21,993 shares in the company, valued at $1,210,054.86. The trade was a 68.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 208,316 shares of company stock worth $11,484,440 over the last three months. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Monster Beverage Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of MNST traded up $0.44 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $57.31. 7,642,762 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,723,733. Monster Beverage Co. has a fifty-two week low of $43.32 and a fifty-two week high of $60.13. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $51.36 and a 200-day moving average of $52.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). Monster Beverage had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 23.31%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. On average, research analysts expect that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MNST shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $59.00 target price on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating 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 assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Monster Beverage presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $55.83.

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.