Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Shares Bought by Washington Trust Advisors Inc.

Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 40.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 4,798 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,386 shares during the period. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $252,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.65, for a total value of $526,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,944,748.60. The trade was a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total value of $5,057,080.08. Following the sale, the insider now owns 76,201 shares in the company, valued at $4,220,011.38. The trade was a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Monster Beverage Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of MNST opened at $55.69 on Friday. Monster Beverage Co. has a one year low of $43.32 and a one year high of $61.22. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $50.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a current ratio of 3.13. The company has a market capitalization of $54.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.74.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last released its earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MNST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday, February 28th. TD Cowen upped 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. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 price objective on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Monster Beverage presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.83.

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.