UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Boosts Stock Holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 10.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 69,346 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,520 shares during the quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $3,645,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 0.7% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 39,187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,045,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its stake in Monster Beverage by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 14,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $764,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. Summit Trail Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 51.3% during the third quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 14,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $770,000 after buying an additional 5,003 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 6.7% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 151,364 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,897,000 after buying an additional 9,496 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avestar Capital LLC grew its stake in Monster Beverage by 6.4% during the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 5,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $281,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. 72.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MNST opened at $57.84 on Wednesday. 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 fifty-two week low of $43.32 and a fifty-two week high of $60.13. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $51.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $52.25. The firm has a market cap of $56.29 billion, a PE ratio of 37.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last announced 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). The firm 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on MNST. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. BNP Paribas dropped their price target 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. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 price objective on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total value of $552,700.00. Following the sale, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 208,316 shares of company stock worth $11,484,440. 7.80% of the stock is currently 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.