Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Position Lessened by Loomis Sayles & Co. L P

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lessened its stake in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,413,607 shares of the company’s stock after selling 729,363 shares during the quarter. Monster Beverage comprises approximately 150.0% of Loomis Sayles & Co. L P’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P owned about 2.72% of Monster Beverage worth $1,388,299,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its holdings 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 worth $28,000 after buying an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MNST opened at $57.76 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $56.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.03, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $51.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $52.28. Monster Beverage Co. has a 12 month low of $43.32 and a 12 month high of $60.13. The company has a current ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 analysts’ expectations 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 predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 price target on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. BNP Paribas lowered their target price on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Monster Beverage presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.83.

Insider Activity at Monster Beverage

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total value of $552,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 72,273 shares in the company, valued at $3,994,528.71. The trade was a 12.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total transaction of $5,057,080.08. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 76,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,220,011.38. This trade represents a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 208,316 shares of company stock valued at $11,484,440 in the last three months. 7.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Monster Beverage

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.