Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Buys 12,759 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 43.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 41,856 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 12,759 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC's holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $2,200,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 6.9% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 3.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,728,086 shares of the company's stock worth $817,490,000 after acquiring an additional 473,418 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $442,642,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 143,871 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

In related news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 76,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,220,011.38. This trade represents a 54.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Guy Carling sold 47,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.02, for a total value of $2,585,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 21,993 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,210,054.86. This trade represents a 68.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 208,316 shares of company stock valued at $11,484,440 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 7.80% of the company's stock.

Monster Beverage Stock Down 4.3 %

Monster Beverage stock traded down $2.57 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $57.08. 10,386,288 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,004,753. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1-year low of $43.32 and a 1-year high of $61.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $53.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $52.63. The stock has a market cap of $55.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on MNST. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. BNP Paribas reduced their price objective on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Monster Beverage presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $56.11.

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.