UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Purchases 13,246 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 25.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 64,336 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 13,246 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $3,382,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 203 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Monster Beverage Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MNST opened at $57.86 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $52.19 and its 200-day moving average is $52.38. 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 $59.56. The company has a market capitalization of $56.31 billion, a PE ratio of 37.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MNST. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 price objective on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. 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 report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target 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. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Monster Beverage from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. 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 an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $55.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total transaction of $552,700.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total value of $5,057,080.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 76,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,220,011.38. This represents a 54.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 208,316 shares of company stock worth $11,484,440 in the last three months. Insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

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.