Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Purchases New Shares in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 34,424 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,809,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp raised 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 worth $1,760,341,000 after purchasing an additional 2,168,379 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 4.7% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,229,789 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in Monster Beverage by 109.3% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 22,559,092 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,176,913,000 after acquiring an additional 11,779,162 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Monster Beverage by 3.1% during 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. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew 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 worth $203,365,000 after purchasing an additional 596,078 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

NASDAQ:MNST opened at $46.30 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $45.03 billion, a PE ratio of 29.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 2.51, a current ratio of 3.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $51.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $51.10. Monster Beverage Co. has a 52 week low of $43.32 and a 52 week high of $61.22.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday, December 6th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $55.42.

Insider Activity at Monster Beverage

In other Monster Beverage news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at $3,944,748.60. This represents a 11.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 7.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Monster Beverage 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.