Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Shares Sold by Simplicity Wealth LLC

Simplicity Wealth LLC lowered its position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 3,911 shares of the company’s stock after selling 311 shares during the quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $206,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 62.5% in the 4th quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 528 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of MNST opened at $55.23 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $50.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.63. Monster Beverage Co. has a twelve month low of $43.32 and a twelve month high of $61.22.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last issued 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). The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 23.31% and a net margin of 21.66%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Monster Beverage news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total value of $5,057,080.08. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 76,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,220,011.38. This trade represents a 54.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The shares were 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 trade represents a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Argus upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 target price on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $55.83.

Monster Beverage Company 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.