Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Shares Sold by Securian Asset Management Inc.

Securian Asset Management Inc. cut its position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 37,632 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,375 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $1,978,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Monster Beverage by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,864 shares of the company’s stock worth $254,000 after buying an additional 552 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc lifted its position in Monster Beverage by 6.9% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 5,318 shares of the company’s stock valued at $277,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the period. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in Monster Beverage by 2.4% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 197,555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,307,000 after purchasing an additional 4,651 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its holdings in Monster Beverage by 10.7% in the third quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 64,868 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,384,000 after purchasing an additional 6,266 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in Monster Beverage by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 273,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,279,000 after purchasing an additional 3,525 shares during the period. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

NASDAQ MNST opened at $54.34 on Friday. 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $50.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $51.67. The company has a market cap of $52.88 billion, a PE ratio of 34.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1-year low of $43.32 and a 1-year high of $61.21.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.02). Monster Beverage had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 23.31%. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MNST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BNP Paribas lowered their target price on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $55.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total transaction of $5,057,080.08. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 76,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,220,011.38. The trade was a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Mark J. Hall sold 48,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.89, for a total transaction of $2,634,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 296,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,293,876.94. This represents a 13.92 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.