Empirical Finance LLC Cuts Stake in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Empirical Finance LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,379 shares of the company’s stock after selling 354 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $1,334,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MNST. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 62.5% during the 4th quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 16,085.7% in the third quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 1,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 1,126 shares during the period. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Stock Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ:MNST opened at $46.57 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 3.13 and a quick ratio of 2.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $50.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $51.05. The company has a market capitalization of $45.29 billion, a PE ratio of 29.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.74. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1-year low of $43.32 and a 1-year high of $61.22.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MNST has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group reduced their price target on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 price objective on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $55.42.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Monster Beverage 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 transaction of $526,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. The trade was a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by 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.