Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Shares Acquired by China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 27.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 15,827 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,402 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $832,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MNST. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $1,176,913,000 after buying an additional 11,779,162 shares during the period. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Monster Beverage by 250.9% in the fourth quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 3,468,660 shares of the company’s stock worth $178,801,000 after acquiring an additional 2,480,291 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Monster Beverage by 1,148.0% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,596,888 shares of the company’s stock worth $135,480,000 after acquiring an additional 2,388,798 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 6.9% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 3rd quarter valued at $73,600,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

Monster Beverage stock opened at $48.71 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 3.13 and a quick ratio of 2.51. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $51.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $51.18. Monster Beverage Co. has a 12 month low of $43.32 and a 12 month high of $61.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.37 billion, a PE ratio of 31.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.74.

Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.65, for a total transaction of $526,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,944,748.60. This represents a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday, December 6th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Two 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 company. According to MarketBeat, Monster Beverage has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $55.42.

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.