Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Shares Bought by International Assets Investment Management LLC

International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 1,220.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,755 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 33,971 shares during the quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $2,117,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Peoples Bank KS purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ancora Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its stake in Monster Beverage by 276.1% during the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 504 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on MNST shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Monster Beverage from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Monster Beverage from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Citigroup upped their price target on Monster Beverage from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, HSBC dropped their price target on Monster Beverage from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.11.

Monster Beverage Stock Down 0.6 %

NASDAQ:MNST opened at $53.14 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $57.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.49. Monster Beverage Co. has a 52 week low of $47.13 and a 52 week high of $61.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.72.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 659,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.55, for a total value of $38,584,450.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 777,840 shares in the company, valued at $45,542,532. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 9.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.