LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. Trims Stock Holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. decreased its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 88.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,517 shares of the company's stock after selling 56,536 shares during the period. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.'s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $395,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 109.3% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 22,559,092 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,176,913,000 after purchasing an additional 11,779,162 shares in the last quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. boosted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 250.9% during the fourth quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 3,468,660 shares of the company's stock worth $178,801,000 after purchasing an additional 2,480,291 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Monster Beverage by 6.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 33,742,390 shares of the company's stock worth $1,760,341,000 after acquiring an additional 2,168,379 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in Monster Beverage during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $73,600,000. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 4.7% during the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 27,142,970 shares of the company's stock worth $1,416,048,000 after acquiring an additional 1,229,789 shares during the period. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Monster Beverage Trading Down 1.1 %

Monster Beverage stock traded down $0.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $55.07. 6,354,690 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,722,310. Monster Beverage Co. has a 12 month low of $43.32 and a 12 month high of $61.22. The company has a quick ratio of 2.51, a current ratio of 3.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $50.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $51.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.30, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.74.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 23.31% and a net margin of 21.66%. Analysts forecast that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MNST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "overweight" 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. UBS Group upped their price objective on Monster Beverage from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Two research 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $55.83.

Insider Activity

In other Monster Beverage news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. The trade was a 11.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 76,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,220,011.38. The trade was a 54.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.