New York State Teachers Retirement System Trims Stock Position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

New York State Teachers Retirement System lessened its holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 598,498 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,706 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.06% of Monster Beverage worth $31,457,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Creative Planning lifted its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 90,773 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,736,000 after acquiring an additional 10,284 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its position in Monster Beverage by 1.5% in the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 87,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,589,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260 shares during the last quarter. Teamwork Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the third quarter valued at approximately $214,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 12.7% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,289 shares of the company's stock worth $380,000 after purchasing an additional 824 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Claro Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the third quarter worth approximately $283,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on MNST shares. BNP Paribas lowered their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on Monster Beverage in a report on Friday, December 6th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Monster Beverage from $52.00 to $51.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $55.53.

Insider Activity

In other Monster Beverage news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.65, for a total value of $526,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 74,924 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. The trade was a 11.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 7.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Monster Beverage Stock Up 1.3 %

MNST stock traded up $0.64 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $51.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,517,695 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,293,231. The firm's 50-day moving average is $50.22 and its 200-day moving average is $50.95. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $43.32 and a 12 month high of $61.22. The company has a market cap of $50.27 billion, a PE ratio of 33.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.74.

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.