Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Purchases 8,850 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 20.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 52,566 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,850 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $3,028,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Peoples Bank KS acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its holdings in Monster Beverage by 276.1% in the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 504 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the period. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Monster Beverage news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 659,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.55, for a total value of $38,584,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 777,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,542,532. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 9.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

MNST opened at $54.73 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $57.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.72. Monster Beverage Co. has a one year low of $47.13 and a one year high of $61.22.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 22.84% and a return on equity of 20.95%. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.76 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.28 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on MNST shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Citigroup increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Monster Beverage from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Monster Beverage in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $63.11.

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.