Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Shares Sold by Montag & Caldwell LLC

Montag & Caldwell LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 186,306 shares of the company's stock after selling 14,637 shares during the period. Monster Beverage makes up 2.1% of Montag & Caldwell LLC's holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Montag & Caldwell LLC's holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $9,792,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at about $442,642,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 659.1% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 4,872,972 shares of the company's stock valued at $251,445,000 after acquiring an additional 4,231,063 shares during the last quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 250.9% during the 4th quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 3,468,660 shares of the company's stock valued at $178,801,000 after buying an additional 2,480,291 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $106,882,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,112,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $897,012,000 after purchasing an additional 1,383,914 shares during the period. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MNST shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Friday, February 28th. Citigroup upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $57.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

In related news, 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,994,528.71. This trade represents a 12.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the business's 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 76,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,220,011.38. The trade was a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 208,316 shares of company stock worth $11,484,440 over the last quarter. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

Shares of MNST stock traded up $0.46 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $58.41. The company had a trading volume of 7,138,324 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,099,589. Monster Beverage Co. has a 12-month low of $43.32 and a 12-month high of $60.34. The company has a market capitalization of $56.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.44, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.64. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $55.52 and a 200-day moving average of $53.14.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 23.31% and a net margin of 21.66%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current 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.