Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Position Lessened by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lowered its position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 17.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 841,381 shares of the company’s stock after selling 173,206 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.08% of Monster Beverage worth $48,469,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Peoples Bank KS acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Headinvest LLC acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Monster Beverage during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Monster Beverage by 34.6% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 774 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the third quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Monster Beverage

In related news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 659,000 shares of the company’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 owns 777,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,542,532. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 9.40% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Trading Up 1.4 %

NASDAQ:MNST opened at $54.13 on Tuesday. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1-year low of $47.13 and a 1-year high of $61.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.92, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.72. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $56.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.72.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.76 billion. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 22.84% and a return on equity of 20.95%. Monster Beverage’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.28 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MNST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $63.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Monster Beverage from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $66.00 to $59.00 in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $61.68.

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.