Norinchukin Bank The Increases Stock Position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Norinchukin Bank The grew its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 11.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 43,675 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,473 shares during the quarter. Norinchukin Bank The's holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $2,296,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,214,000. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in Monster Beverage by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 154,125 shares of the company's stock worth $8,101,000 after buying an additional 7,780 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth $7,090,000. Diversified Trust Co purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at $733,000. Finally, Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter worth $423,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.36% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Monster Beverage has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $57.89.

Monster Beverage Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MNST traded down $0.13 on Wednesday, hitting $59.15. 4,994,186 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,074,147. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1-year low of $43.32 and a 1-year high of $60.34. The company has a market capitalization of $57.56 billion, a PE ratio of 37.92, a P/E/G 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 firm's 50-day moving average is $56.11 and its 200 day moving average is $53.30.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total value of $552,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 72,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,994,528.71. This represents a 12.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark J. Hall sold 12,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.50, for a total transaction of $654,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 296,846 shares in the company, valued at $16,178,107. The trade was a 3.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In 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.

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.