Amundi Boosts Holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Amundi lifted its stake in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 70.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,786,477 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 739,270 shares during the period. Amundi owned approximately 0.18% of Monster Beverage worth $92,182,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 62.5% in the 4th quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ MNST opened at $55.77 on Tuesday. 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 Co. has a 52 week low of $43.32 and a 52 week high of $61.22. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $50.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71.

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). Monster Beverage had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 23.31%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

In other Monster Beverage news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total transaction of $5,057,080.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 76,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,220,011.38. This trade represents a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 74,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,944,748.60. This trade represents a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MNST shares. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Argus increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, BNP Paribas decreased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $55.83.

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.