National Pension Service Sells 883,281 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

National Pension Service decreased its position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 46.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,034,329 shares of the company’s stock after selling 883,281 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $54,364,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 62.5% during the fourth quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 16,085.7% during the third quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 1,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 1,126 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Stock Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ:MNST opened at $51.92 on Friday. Monster Beverage Co. has a twelve month low of $43.32 and a twelve month high of $61.22. The company has a market cap of $50.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $50.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $51.08. 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 (NASDAQ:MNST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Analysts anticipate that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MNST shares. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Friday, December 6th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 price objective on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Argus raised their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, BNP Paribas cut their target price 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $55.53.

Insider Activity at Monster Beverage

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at $3,944,748.60. The trade was a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 7.80% of the stock is currently 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.