Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) Price Target Lowered to $51.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) had its target price lowered by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $52.00 to $51.00 in a report issued on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on MNST. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Argus upped 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. Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Friday, December 6th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. 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 report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Monster Beverage currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $55.53.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Shares of Monster Beverage stock opened at $48.17 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.51, a current ratio of 3.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $50.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.02. Monster Beverage has a 52 week low of $43.32 and a 52 week high of $61.22. The company has a market capitalization of $46.85 billion, a PE ratio of 30.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.74.

Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

In other Monster Beverage news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.65, for a total value of $526,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. This trade represents a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 7.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Monster Beverage

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 13,578 shares of the company’s stock worth $714,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 6,991 shares of the company’s stock valued at $367,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,996 shares of the company’s stock valued at $263,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the period. Finally, Accretive Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Monster Beverage by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Accretive Wealth Partners LLC now owns 17,821 shares of the company’s stock worth $930,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

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.