Metis Global Partners LLC Decreases Stake in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Metis Global Partners LLC decreased its holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 31,023 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,221 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $1,787,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Monster Beverage by 8.4% during the third quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 19,210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after buying an additional 1,482 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Monster Beverage by 112.2% during the third quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 195,272 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,339,000 after purchasing an additional 103,271 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth $7,340,000. Defender Capital LLC. lifted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 30.2% in the 4th quarter. Defender Capital LLC. now owns 371,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,378,000 after buying an additional 86,050 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 10,268 shares of the company’s stock valued at $590,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the period. 72.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Monster Beverage Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of MNST opened at $55.83 on Wednesday. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1-year low of $47.13 and a 1-year high of $61.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.74. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $56.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $55.92.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.90 billion. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 22.83% and a return on equity of 20.74%. The firm’s revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.38 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 659,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 777,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,542,532. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 9.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group dropped their target price on Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $60.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 26th. HSBC reduced their price objective 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Monster Beverage from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $66.00 to $59.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $61.32.

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.