GAMMA Investing LLC Invests $470,000 in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 8,545 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $470,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Peoples Bank KS purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Headinvest LLC acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 34.6% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 774 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the 3rd quarter worth about $53,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MNST traded up $1.00 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $54.73. 3,393,462 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,331,458. The firm has a market cap of $56.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.72. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $57.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $55.60. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1 year low of $47.13 and a 1 year high of $61.22.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.76 billion. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 22.84% and a return on equity of 20.95%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.28 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Monster Beverage news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 659,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.55, for a total value of $38,584,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 777,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,542,532. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 9.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on MNST. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 26th. HSBC reduced their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $63.11.

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.