Aviva PLC Lowers Holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Aviva PLC decreased its holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 27,569 shares of the company’s stock after selling 631 shares during the period. Aviva PLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $1,449,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth about $11,387,000. Prudential PLC grew its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 23.5% during the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 78,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,127,000 after purchasing an additional 14,944 shares during the period. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. grew its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 156,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,215,000 after purchasing an additional 13,198 shares during the period. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 50,907 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,676,000 after purchasing an additional 6,380 shares during the period. Finally, Cinctive Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth about $1,463,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 48,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.89, for a total value of $2,634,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 296,846 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,293,876.94. The trade was a 13.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 76,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,220,011.38. This trade represents a 54.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 208,316 shares of company stock worth $11,484,440. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Shares of MNST opened at $58.25 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $53.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.84. Monster Beverage Co. has a 52-week low of $43.32 and a 52-week high of $60.34. The firm has a market cap of $56.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.34, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 2.51, a current ratio of 3.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MNST shares. BNP Paribas decreased their target price on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $56.11.

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.