Prudential PLC Increases Holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Prudential PLC raised its stake in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 23.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 78,521 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,944 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $4,127,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 62.5% in the fourth quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MNST shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Monster Beverage from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Citigroup increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, BNP Paribas reduced their target price on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Monster Beverage presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $56.11.

Monster Beverage Stock Down 4.3 %

NASDAQ:MNST opened at $57.08 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $53.17 and a 200-day moving average of $52.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.55 billion, a PE ratio of 36.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71. Monster Beverage Co. has a 52 week low of $43.32 and a 52 week high of $60.34.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 23.31% and a net margin of 21.66%. Analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Monster Beverage news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total value of $5,057,080.08. Following the sale, the insider now owns 76,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,220,011.38. This trade represents a 54.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Mark J. Hall sold 48,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.89, for a total value of $2,634,720.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 296,846 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,293,876.94. This trade represents a 13.92 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 208,316 shares of company stock valued at $11,484,440 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

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.