Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Acquires 538 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 71,557 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 538 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $4,122,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MNST. Peoples Bank KS bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Headinvest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Monster Beverage by 34.6% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 774 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the period. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage in the third quarter worth $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

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

Monster Beverage Trading Up 0.9 %

NASDAQ MNST opened at $53.60 on Tuesday. Monster Beverage Co. has a 12-month low of $47.13 and a 12-month high of $61.22. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $57.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $55.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.72.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $1.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.28 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MNST shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered 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. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Monster Beverage from $63.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Six equities 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 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.