Howard Capital Management Inc. Has $811,000 Stake in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,425 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 523 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $811,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MNST. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 11,779,162 shares during the period. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Monster Beverage by 250.9% during the fourth quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 3,468,660 shares of the company’s stock worth $178,801,000 after purchasing an additional 2,480,291 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 33,742,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,760,341,000 after purchasing an additional 2,168,379 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the 3rd quarter valued at $73,600,000. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 27,142,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,416,048,000 after buying an additional 1,229,789 shares in the last quarter. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Monster Beverage

In other Monster Beverage news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 74,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. This represents a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Monster Beverage Stock Up 3.5 %

Monster Beverage stock opened at $53.00 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $51.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.97, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.74. Monster Beverage Co. has a 52-week low of $43.32 and a 52-week high of $61.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a current ratio of 3.13. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $50.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $50.98.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on MNST shares. Argus raised their price objective on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 price objective on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target 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 issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.53.

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.