Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Purchases 3,762 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 12.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,695 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,762 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $2,057,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in Monster Beverage during the first quarter worth $26,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Monster Beverage by 360.0% during the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 506 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Monster Beverage during the first quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC boosted its position in Monster Beverage by 187.6% in the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 716 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Stock Down 0.2 %

MNST traded down $0.12 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $51.45. 6,977,017 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,316,896. The company’s 50-day moving average is $50.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.21. The company has a market cap of $53.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.76. Monster Beverage Co. has a 12-month low of $47.13 and a 12-month high of $61.22.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.90 billion. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 20.74% and a net margin of 22.83%. Monster Beverage’s revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.38 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America cut their price objective on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Monster Beverage in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $48.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Monster Beverage from $63.00 to $57.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Monster Beverage from $69.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Monster Beverage from $65.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $59.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Monster Beverage news, Director Mark Vidergauz sold 15,077 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.85, for a total value of $781,742.45. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 68,167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,534,458.95. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 250,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.22, for a total transaction of $13,055,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 532,754 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,820,413.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Mark Vidergauz sold 15,077 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.85, for a total value of $781,742.45. Following the transaction, the director now owns 68,167 shares in the company, valued at $3,534,458.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 307,221 shares of company stock worth $16,070,374 in the last ninety days. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.