William Blair Investment Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

William Blair Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 17.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,652,853 shares of the company’s stock after selling 776,745 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $191,994,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,214,000. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 154,125 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,101,000 after acquiring an additional 7,780 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Monster Beverage by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 251,570 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,124,000 after buying an additional 15,611 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in Monster Beverage by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 151,364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,897,000 after buying an additional 9,496 shares during the period. Finally, Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at about $7,090,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MNST shares. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 target price on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. BNP Paribas lowered their price objective 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. UBS Group upped their price target on Monster Beverage from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $55.83.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MNST opened at $55.09 on Monday. Monster Beverage Co. has a fifty-two week low of $43.32 and a fifty-two week high of $61.21. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $50.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $51.79. The company has a quick ratio of 2.51, a current ratio of 3.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm has a market cap of $53.61 billion, a PE ratio of 35.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). 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 analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Monster Beverage

In other Monster Beverage news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 48,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.89, for a total transaction of $2,634,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 296,846 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,293,876.94. The trade was a 13.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the business’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 owns 76,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,220,011.38. This trade represents a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 186,316 shares of company stock worth $10,277,740. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.