Appleton Partners Inc. MA Sells 1,859 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Appleton Partners Inc. MA trimmed its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 125,338 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,859 shares during the quarter. Appleton Partners Inc. MA’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $6,588,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MNST. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 62.5% in 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 bought a new stake in Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 16,085.7% during the 3rd quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 1,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 1,126 shares in the last quarter. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.65, for a total value of $526,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at $3,944,748.60. This trade represents a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on MNST. 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 report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.42.

Monster Beverage Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ MNST opened at $46.57 on Friday. 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 $61.22. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $51.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $51.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.74.

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.