Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Holdings Reduced by Park National Corp OH

Park National Corp OH lowered its position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 74.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 83,933 shares of the company's stock after selling 249,186 shares during the quarter. Park National Corp OH's holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $4,412,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MNST. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Monster Beverage by 6.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 33,742,390 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,760,341,000 after purchasing an additional 2,168,379 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 27,142,970 shares of the company's stock worth $1,416,048,000 after buying an additional 1,229,789 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 109.3% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 22,559,092 shares of the company's stock worth $1,176,913,000 after buying an additional 11,779,162 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Monster Beverage by 3.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,728,086 shares of the company's stock valued at $817,490,000 after acquiring an additional 473,418 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Monster Beverage by 18.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,898,127 shares of the company's stock valued at $203,365,000 after acquiring an additional 596,078 shares during the last quarter. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

MNST traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $51.60. 3,166,743 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,884,188. The stock has a market cap of $50.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $53.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $51.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 3.13 and a quick ratio of 2.51. Monster Beverage Co. has a 12 month low of $43.32 and a 12 month high of $61.22.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. BNP Paribas cut their price objective on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $56.30.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.65, for a total value of $526,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 74,924 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. This trade represents a 11.78 % decrease in their position. The sale 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.

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.