Aviso Financial Inc. Boosts Position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Aviso Financial Inc. raised its stake in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 7.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,958 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,045 shares during the period. Aviso Financial Inc.’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $786,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MNST. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its stake in Monster Beverage by 62.5% in the fourth quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 528 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Stock Up 1.4 %

NASDAQ:MNST opened at $55.09 on Friday. 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 Co. has a twelve month low of $43.32 and a twelve month high of $61.21. The company has a market cap of $53.61 billion, a PE ratio of 35.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71. The company’s 50 day moving average is $50.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.73.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 23.31%. Analysts anticipate that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on MNST shares. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. BNP Paribas cut their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Monster Beverage from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.83.

Insider Transactions at Monster Beverage

In other Monster Beverage news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 48,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.89, for a total transaction of $2,634,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 296,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,293,876.94. This trade represents a 13.92 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total transaction of $5,057,080.08. Following the sale, the insider now 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 186,316 shares of company stock worth $10,277,740 over the last three months. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by 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.