Swiss National Bank Decreases Stake in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Swiss National Bank reduced its stake in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,075,400 shares of the company’s stock after selling 118,300 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.21% of Monster Beverage worth $109,083,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MNST. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 62.5% during 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. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Trading Up 1.4 %

NASDAQ MNST opened at $55.09 on Friday. Monster Beverage Co. has a 12 month low of $43.32 and a 12 month high of $61.21. The company has a 50-day moving average of $50.80 and a 200-day moving average of $51.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 3.13 and a quick ratio of 2.51. The company has a market cap of $53.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.02). Monster Beverage had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 23.31%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Guy Carling sold 47,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.02, for a total transaction of $2,585,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 21,993 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,210,054.86. The trade was a 68.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total value of $5,057,080.08. Following the sale, the insider now owns 76,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,220,011.38. The trade was a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 186,316 shares of company stock valued at $10,277,740 in the last 90 days. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MNST has been the subject of several research reports. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Monster Beverage from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Citigroup lifted their price target on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $55.83.

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.