Knuff & Co LLC Sells 2,176 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Knuff & Co LLC lessened its holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 92,813 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,176 shares during the period. Monster Beverage makes up 1.5% of Knuff & Co LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Knuff & Co LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $4,878,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 62.5% during the fourth quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 528 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management bought a new position in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

Monster Beverage stock opened at $55.23 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $50.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $51.63. Monster Beverage Co. has a one year low of $43.32 and a one year high of $61.22. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $53.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.40, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at $3,944,748.60. The trade was a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 76,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,220,011.38. This represents a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 7.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MNST shares. BNP Paribas reduced their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 price target on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock 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.