Ninety One North America Inc. Sells 16,853 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Ninety One North America Inc. reduced its position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 395,806 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,853 shares during the quarter. Ninety One North America Inc.’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $20,804,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MNST. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth about $1,214,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 6.6% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 251,570 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,124,000 after acquiring an additional 15,611 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 6.7% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 151,364 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,897,000 after acquiring an additional 9,496 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the third quarter worth about $630,000. Finally, Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,090,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on MNST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. BNP Paribas decreased their price target on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Monster Beverage from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday, December 6th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Monster Beverage presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.42.

Monster Beverage Stock Up 0.2 %

NASDAQ MNST opened at $47.59 on Tuesday. 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $51.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.19. The company has a market cap of $46.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.74. Monster Beverage Co. has a one year low of $43.32 and a one year high of $61.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

In other Monster Beverage news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the company’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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at $3,944,748.60. This represents a 11.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 7.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.