5,210 Shares in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Purchased by R Squared Ltd

R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 5,210 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $274,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MNST. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 33,742,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,760,341,000 after buying an additional 2,168,379 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P grew its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 4.7% during the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 27,142,970 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,416,048,000 after purchasing an additional 1,229,789 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 109.3% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 22,559,092 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,176,913,000 after purchasing an additional 11,779,162 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,728,086 shares of the company’s stock worth $817,490,000 after purchasing an additional 473,418 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Monster Beverage by 18.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,898,127 shares of the company’s stock valued at $203,365,000 after purchasing an additional 596,078 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MNST opened at $48.65 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $52.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $51.23. The company has a market capitalization of $47.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.19, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. Monster Beverage Co. has a twelve month low of $43.32 and a twelve month high of $61.22.

Insider Activity at Monster Beverage

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.65, for a total value of $526,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at $3,944,748.60. The trade was a 11.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MNST shares. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on Monster Beverage in a research report on Friday, December 6th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Argus increased their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, BNP Paribas reduced their price objective on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.42.

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.