Geode Capital Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 8.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 17,112,000 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,383,914 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 1.76% of Monster Beverage worth $897,012,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MNST. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 3,999.8% during the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 39,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,076,000 after acquiring an additional 38,838 shares in the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Monster Beverage by 5.5% in the third quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 459,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,972,000 after purchasing an additional 23,906 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $620,000. Investment Management Corp of Ontario increased its holdings in Monster Beverage by 40.8% during the 3rd quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 24,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,279,000 after purchasing an additional 7,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 17,752 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,000 after purchasing an additional 882 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Shares of MNST stock opened at $59.36 on Thursday. Monster Beverage Co. has a 12-month low of $43.32 and a 12-month high of $59.42. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $57.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $52.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $52.58.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 23.31%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total transaction of $552,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 72,273 shares in the company, valued at $3,994,528.71. The trade was a 12.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total value of $5,057,080.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 76,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,220,011.38. The trade was a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 208,316 shares of company stock worth $11,484,440. Corporate insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MNST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. BNP Paribas lowered their price objective on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Monster Beverage has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $56.11.

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.