Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Purchases 1,027 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 16,829 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,027 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $885,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its position in Monster Beverage by 62.5% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ MNST opened at $57.83 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $51.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $52.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a current ratio of 3.13. Monster Beverage Co. has a 52-week low of $43.32 and a 52-week high of $60.13. The company has a market capitalization of $56.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 target price on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $55.83.

Insider Transactions at Monster Beverage

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total transaction of $552,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 72,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,994,528.71. This represents a 12.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total transaction of $5,057,080.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 76,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,220,011.38. This trade represents a 54.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 208,316 shares of company stock valued at $11,484,440. Corporate insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

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.