Supplemental Annuity Collective Trust of NJ Sells 5,000 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Supplemental Annuity Collective Trust of NJ trimmed its stake in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 27.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,000 shares during the quarter. Supplemental Annuity Collective Trust of NJ’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $749,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Peoples Bank KS bought a new stake in Monster Beverage during the third quarter worth $26,000. Headinvest LLC acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 3rd quarter valued at about $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 worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the period. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Monster Beverage during the third quarter worth approximately $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Shares of MNST stock traded up $0.22 on Friday, hitting $53.37. The company had a trading volume of 4,204,562 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,386,807. Monster Beverage Co. has a twelve month low of $47.13 and a twelve month high of $61.22. The firm has a market cap of $55.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.72. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $57.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.57.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 22.84% and a return on equity of 20.95%. 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 firm posted $0.28 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.81 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MNST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Monster Beverage from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $66.00 to $59.00 in a report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.79.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 659,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 777,840 shares in the company, valued at $45,542,532. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 9.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.