China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Acquires 1,569 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 33.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,263 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,569 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $313,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MNST. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 9.9% in the first quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 2,097 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased its holdings in Monster Beverage by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 4,317 shares of the company’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 13,307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $789,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 5,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $300,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 2.8% during the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 8,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $529,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the period. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Mark Vidergauz sold 15,077 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.85, for a total value of $781,742.45. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 68,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,534,458.95. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Monster Beverage news, CEO Hilton H. Schlosberg sold 42,144 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.00, for a total value of $2,233,632.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,875,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $99,404,574. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark Vidergauz sold 15,077 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.85, for a total value of $781,742.45. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 68,167 shares in the company, valued at $3,534,458.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 307,221 shares of company stock worth $16,070,374 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

Monster Beverage stock traded down $0.04 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $46.56. The company had a trading volume of 1,672,700 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,367,429. Monster Beverage Co. has a one year low of $43.32 and a one year high of $61.22. The firm has a market cap of $48.50 billion, a PE ratio of 29.28, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.76. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $49.47 and a 200 day moving average of $53.44.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.01 billion. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 20.74% and a net margin of 22.83%. Monster Beverage’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.39 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MNST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Monster Beverage from $56.00 to $54.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Monster Beverage from $64.00 to $60.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Monster Beverage from $63.00 to $57.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Monster Beverage from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Monster Beverage currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.85.

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.