Twin Tree Management LP Lowers Position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Twin Tree Management LP cut its holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 27.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,396 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,371 shares during the quarter. Twin Tree Management LP’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $1,335,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MNST. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Monster Beverage by 4.8% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 24,921 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,300,000 after acquiring an additional 1,137 shares during the period. Claro Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the third quarter valued at about $393,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 0.7% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 39,187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,045,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 5.5% during the third quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 14,057 shares of the company’s stock valued at $733,000 after buying an additional 733 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC lifted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 24.5% during the third quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 94,989 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,956,000 after buying an additional 18,669 shares during the last quarter. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MNST opened at $56.80 on Wednesday. Monster Beverage Co. has a twelve month low of $43.32 and a twelve month high of $61.03. The company’s 50 day moving average is $50.99 and its 200 day moving average is $51.92. 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 company has a market cap of $55.28 billion, a PE ratio of 36.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 23.31% and a net margin of 21.66%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Monster Beverage news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now owns 76,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,220,011.38. This represents a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total value of $552,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 72,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,994,528.71. This represents a 12.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 208,316 shares of company stock worth $11,484,440. 7.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on MNST. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.