Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Shares Purchased by Huntington National Bank

Huntington National Bank boosted its position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 756.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,664 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,419 shares during the quarter. Huntington National Bank’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $560,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 62.5% in the fourth 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 stake in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Monster Beverage Stock Down 4.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MNST opened at $57.08 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $53.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 3.13 and a quick ratio of 2.51. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1 year low of $43.32 and a 1 year high of $60.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.55 billion, a PE ratio of 36.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.02). Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 23.31% and a net margin of 21.66%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MNST shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $56.11.

Insider Activity

In other Monster Beverage news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 76,201 shares in the company, valued at $4,220,011.38. The trade was a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total transaction of $552,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 208,316 shares of company stock worth $11,484,440. Corporate insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

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.