Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Stake Boosted by Legacy Financial Advisors Inc.

Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,544 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the period. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $764,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MNST. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. lifted its stake in 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 acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ MNST opened at $57.77 on Friday. 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 12 month low of $43.32 and a 12 month high of $60.34. The company has a market cap of $56.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $54.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $52.88.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total value of $5,057,080.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 76,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,220,011.38. This represents a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was 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 directly owns 72,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,994,528.71. This trade represents a 12.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 208,316 shares of company stock valued at $11,484,440. Company insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MNST. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted 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. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday, February 28th. BNP Paribas reduced their price target on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $56.11.

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.