Natural Investments LLC Buys New Holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Natural Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 7,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $391,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MNST. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its position in Monster Beverage by 62.5% during the 4th quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management bought a new position in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Shares of MNST opened at $55.23 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $50.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $51.63. The company has a current ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. Monster Beverage Co. has a 12 month low of $43.32 and a 12 month high of $61.22. The company has a market cap of $53.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last issued 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). The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 23.31%. Research analysts anticipate that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on MNST shares. UBS Group upped their price target on Monster Beverage from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. BNP Paribas decreased their target price on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on 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 assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Monster Beverage has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $55.83.

Insider Transactions at Monster Beverage

In other news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total value of $5,057,080.08. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 76,201 shares in the company, valued at $4,220,011.38. This trade represents a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. This represents a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 7.80% 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.