Marshall Wace LLP Increases Stock Holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 27.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 114,094 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 24,396 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP's holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $5,997,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,214,000. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in Monster Beverage by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 154,125 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,101,000 after purchasing an additional 7,780 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at $7,090,000. Diversified Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at $733,000. Finally, Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT purchased a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth $423,000. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Monster Beverage Stock Down 0.2 %

MNST stock opened at $59.15 on Thursday. Monster Beverage Co. has a fifty-two week low of $43.32 and a fifty-two week high of $60.34. The company's 50 day moving average price is $56.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $53.30. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $57.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.92, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.64.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total value of $5,057,080.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 76,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,220,011.38. This represents a 54.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 72,273 shares in the company, valued at $3,994,528.71. This represents a 12.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 208,316 shares of company stock valued at $11,484,440 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 7.80% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on MNST shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $59.00 price objective on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $57.89.

Monster Beverage Company 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.

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