Mizuho Securities USA LLC Buys 20,631 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 45.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 66,364 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 20,631 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $3,488,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Monster Beverage by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 33,742,390 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,760,341,000 after purchasing an additional 2,168,379 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 4.7% in the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 27,142,970 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,416,048,000 after purchasing an additional 1,229,789 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 109.3% during 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 buying an additional 11,779,162 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Monster Beverage by 3.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,728,086 shares of the company's stock worth $817,490,000 after buying an additional 473,418 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Monster Beverage by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,002,484 shares of the company's stock valued at $210,371,000 after buying an additional 143,871 shares during the last quarter. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on MNST. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. BNP Paribas decreased their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $55.83.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Monster Beverage stock traded up $0.82 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $58.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,586,210 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,719,067. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $51.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $52.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a current ratio of 3.13. Monster Beverage Co. has a 12-month low of $43.32 and a 12-month high of $60.13. The company has a market capitalization of $57.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.55, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last released 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 company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Monster Beverage

In other Monster Beverage news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 76,201 shares in the company, valued at $4,220,011.38. This represents a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction 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 business's 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 owns 72,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,994,528.71. This trade represents a 12.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 208,316 shares of company stock valued at $11,484,440. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.