LGT Group Foundation Sells 326,939 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

LGT Group Foundation lessened its stake in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 97.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,624 shares of the company’s stock after selling 326,939 shares during the period. LGT Group Foundation’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $401,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MNST. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its holdings in Monster Beverage by 62.5% during the 4th quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 528 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MNST opened at $54.82 on Wednesday. Monster Beverage Co. has a 52 week low of $43.32 and a 52 week high of $61.22. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $50.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $51.33. The company has a quick ratio of 2.51, a current ratio of 3.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm has a market cap of $53.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.74.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last released 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 net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 23.31%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MNST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Citigroup raised 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. Argus lifted their target price on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, BNP Paribas cut their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $56.47.

Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

In other Monster Beverage news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was 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 owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. This trade represents a 11.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 7.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Monster Beverage Profile

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.