Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Shares Purchased by Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 43.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 41,856 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,759 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $2,200,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. boosted its position 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 buying an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new position in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Trading Up 0.9 %

NASDAQ MNST opened at $59.04 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.85, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a current ratio of 3.13. Monster Beverage Co. has a one year low of $43.32 and a one year high of $59.07. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $52.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $52.53.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.02). Monster Beverage had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 23.31%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MNST. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, BNP Paribas decreased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $55.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total transaction of $552,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 72,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,994,528.71. The trade was a 12.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Mark J. Hall sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.50, for a total transaction of $654,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 296,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,178,107. This trade represents a 3.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 208,316 shares of company stock worth $11,484,440 over the last quarter. 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.