Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Shares Bought by Fluent Financial LLC

Fluent Financial LLC increased its holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 46.5% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 79,254 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,140 shares during the period. Monster Beverage makes up 2.0% of Fluent Financial LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Fluent Financial LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $3,959,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 360.0% during the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 396 shares during the period. Stephens Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MNST shares. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $56.00 to $54.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 15th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $63.00 to $57.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 17th. Roth Mkm lowered their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $56.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $48.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.85.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Hilton H. Schlosberg sold 42,144 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.00, for a total transaction of $2,233,632.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,875,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $99,404,574. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Mark Vidergauz sold 15,077 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.85, for a total transaction of $781,742.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 68,167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,534,458.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Hilton H. Schlosberg sold 42,144 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.00, for a total transaction of $2,233,632.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,875,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $99,404,574. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 7.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Monster Beverage Stock Down 0.1 %

MNST stock traded down $0.07 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $48.15. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 557,402 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,198,668. The company has a quick ratio of 2.69, a current ratio of 3.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company has a market capitalization of $50.16 billion, a PE ratio of 30.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.76. Monster Beverage Co. has a 12 month low of $43.32 and a 12 month high of $61.22. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $48.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $52.70.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.01 billion. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 22.23% and a net margin of 22.84%. The business’s revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.39 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.66 earnings per share for the current year.

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.