Gibraltar Capital Management Inc. Increases Holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Gibraltar Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 120,651 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,429 shares during the quarter. Monster Beverage makes up 2.8% of Gibraltar Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Gibraltar Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $6,341,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MNST. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 109.3% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 22,559,092 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,176,913,000 after acquiring an additional 11,779,162 shares during the last quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 250.9% in the fourth quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 3,468,660 shares of the company’s stock valued at $178,801,000 after acquiring an additional 2,480,291 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Monster Beverage by 6.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 33,742,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,760,341,000 after acquiring an additional 2,168,379 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the third quarter valued at $73,600,000. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 27,142,970 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,416,048,000 after acquiring an additional 1,229,789 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Monster Beverage

In other news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MNST opened at $52.13 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 3.13 and a quick ratio of 2.51. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1 year low of $43.32 and a 1 year high of $61.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.74. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $50.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.07.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MNST has been the subject of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $52.00 to $51.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 target price on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $55.53.

About Monster Beverage

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.