UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Raises Holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd boosted its position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 25.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 64,336 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 13,246 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd's holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $3,382,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,218,312 shares of the company's stock worth $63,827,000 after purchasing an additional 89,049 shares during the period. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp increased its holdings in Monster Beverage by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 69,346 shares of the company's stock worth $3,645,000 after buying an additional 6,520 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its stake in Monster Beverage by 18.0% in the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 76,520 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,022,000 after acquiring an additional 11,652 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Monster Beverage by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 16,829 shares of the company's stock valued at $885,000 after acquiring an additional 1,027 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 924,246 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,346,000 after acquiring an additional 117,162 shares during the period. 72.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MNST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group raised their price target on Monster Beverage from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. BNP Paribas cut their price objective on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $59.00 price objective on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $56.11.

Insider Activity at Monster Beverage

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total value 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total transaction 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 approximately $4,220,011.38. This trade represents a 54.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 208,316 shares of company stock valued at $11,484,440. Insiders own 7.80% of the company's stock.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Shares of MNST traded down $0.01 on Wednesday, reaching $59.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,409,439 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,959,763. Monster Beverage Co. has a 12-month low of $43.32 and a 12-month high of $59.75. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $52.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $52.53. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $57.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.83, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 firm 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%. Research analysts forecast that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.