Cerity Partners LLC Grows Stake in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 540,833 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,895 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $28,414,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 17,752 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,000 after acquiring an additional 882 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the third quarter worth approximately $630,000. MML Investors Services LLC raised its stake in Monster Beverage by 8.1% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 182,134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,502,000 after purchasing an additional 13,649 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Monster Beverage by 6.6% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 251,570 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,124,000 after purchasing an additional 15,611 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Executive Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Monster Beverage by 17.8% in the 3rd quarter. Executive Wealth Management LLC now owns 54,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,867,000 after buying an additional 8,287 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Monster Beverage news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 72,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,994,528.71. This trade represents a 12.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total transaction of $5,057,080.08. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 208,316 shares of company stock worth $11,484,440 in the last quarter. 7.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Monster Beverage Trading Down 3.7 %

NASDAQ:MNST opened at $55.01 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $53.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $52.76. The stock has a market cap of $53.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.64. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $43.32 and a 12 month high of $60.34.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. Equities analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a report 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. Citigroup increased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. BNP Paribas dropped their target price on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Monster Beverage has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $56.11.

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.