Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Reduces Stock Position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund reduced its position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 20.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 179,706 shares of the company’s stock after selling 45,200 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $9,445,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth about $1,214,000. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 154,125 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,101,000 after purchasing an additional 7,780 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Monster Beverage by 6.6% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 251,570 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,124,000 after buying an additional 15,611 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in Monster Beverage by 6.7% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 151,364 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,897,000 after buying an additional 9,496 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Miracle Mile Advisors LLC bought a new position in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter worth about $7,090,000. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.65, for a total value of $526,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. This trade represents a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

Shares of MNST opened at $53.00 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $51.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 2.51, a current ratio of 3.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $50.18 and a 200 day moving average of $50.98. Monster Beverage Co. has a twelve month low of $43.32 and a twelve month high of $61.22.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday, December 6th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Argus increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $55.53.

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.