Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Lowers Position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH decreased its position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,910,630 shares of the company’s stock after selling 110,655 shares during the quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $100,423,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 152.0% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 824 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 497 shares in the last quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 16,085.7% during the third quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 1,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 1,126 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 84.9% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 544 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MNST opened at $49.22 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $52.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $51.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.55, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.74. Monster Beverage Co. has a 52-week low of $43.32 and a 52-week high of $61.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a current ratio of 3.13.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Friday, December 6th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, BNP Paribas dropped their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Monster Beverage presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $55.47.

Insider Transactions at Monster Beverage

In other Monster Beverage news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.65, for a total value of $526,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. This trade represents a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company 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.