25,142 Shares in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Acquired by Generali Asset Management SPA SGR

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 25,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,321,000.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MNST. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 11,779,162 shares during the period. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Monster Beverage by 6.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 33,742,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,760,341,000 after acquiring an additional 2,168,379 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $106,882,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the third quarter valued at approximately $73,600,000. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,220,011.38. The trade was a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total transaction of $552,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 72,273 shares in the company, valued at $3,994,528.71. This represents a 12.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 208,316 shares of company stock worth $11,484,440 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of MNST stock opened at $56.87 on Friday. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1 year low of $43.32 and a 1 year high of $60.55. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $51.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on MNST shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. BNP Paribas reduced their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Monster Beverage presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.