Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Reduces Position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lessened its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 20.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 179,706 shares of the company’s stock after selling 45,200 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $9,445,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MNST. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 5,117.0% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 22,433 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,170,000 after acquiring an additional 22,003 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 18.0% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,228 shares of the company’s stock worth $221,000 after acquiring an additional 644 shares during the last quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,000 after acquiring an additional 647 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 514,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,004,000 after acquiring an additional 17,258 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Forsta AP Fonden boosted its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 143,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,466,000 after acquiring an additional 16,200 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Monster Beverage

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.65, for a total transaction of $526,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. The trade was a 11.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Monster Beverage stock opened at $53.00 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $50.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $50.98. Monster Beverage Co. has a twelve month low of $43.32 and a twelve month high of $61.22. 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 company has a market cap of $51.54 billion, a PE ratio of 33.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.74.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MNST shares. Argus lifted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 target price on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC started coverage on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday, December 6th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $55.53.

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.