Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Sells 584 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd cut its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 61,319 shares of the company’s stock after selling 584 shares during the period. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $3,222,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in Monster Beverage by 109.3% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 22,559,092 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,176,913,000 after buying an additional 11,779,162 shares during the last quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 250.9% in the fourth quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 3,468,660 shares of the company’s stock valued at $178,801,000 after purchasing an additional 2,480,291 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 6.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 33,742,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,760,341,000 after purchasing an additional 2,168,379 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new position in Monster Beverage during the third quarter worth about $73,600,000. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P grew its position in Monster Beverage by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 27,142,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,416,048,000 after purchasing an additional 1,229,789 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Monster Beverage news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at $3,944,748.60. This trade represents a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MNST. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 target price on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Friday, December 6th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.53.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Shares of MNST stock opened at $51.92 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.49 billion, a PE ratio of 33.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $50.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $51.08. Monster Beverage Co. has a 52 week low of $43.32 and a 52 week 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.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 23.31%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current year.

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.