Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Director Sells $2,634,720.00 in Stock

Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Director Mark J. Hall sold 48,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.89, for a total transaction of $2,634,720.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 296,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,293,876.94. This represents a 13.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MNST traded down $0.83 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $54.40. 5,542,631 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,738,578. The company has a current ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $50.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $51.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71. Monster Beverage Co. has a 12 month low of $43.32 and a 12 month high of $61.22.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 forecast that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MNST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Argus increased their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Citigroup lifted 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. UBS Group upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 price target on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Monster Beverage presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.83.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MNST. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,214,000. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 154,125 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,101,000 after purchasing an additional 7,780 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Monster Beverage by 6.6% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 251,570 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,124,000 after purchasing an additional 15,611 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in Monster Beverage by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 151,364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,897,000 after buying an additional 9,496 shares during the period. Finally, Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at $7,090,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Company 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.