Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Insider Guy Carling Sells 47,000 Shares of Stock

Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) insider Guy Carling sold 47,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.02, for a total value of $2,585,940.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 21,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,210,054.86. This represents a 68.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

Monster Beverage stock opened at $55.09 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.31, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71. Monster Beverage Co. has a 52-week low of $43.32 and a 52-week high of $61.21. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $50.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $51.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a current ratio of 3.13.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last posted its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 23.31% and a net margin of 21.66%. On average, equities analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Monster Beverage

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on MNST shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 price target on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average 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.