Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Shares Sold by Gardner Lewis Asset Management L P

Gardner Lewis Asset Management L P reduced its position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 42.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,172 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,496 shares during the quarter. Gardner Lewis Asset Management L P’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $1,270,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MNST. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its stake in Monster Beverage by 62.5% during the 4th quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 528 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 13,578 shares of the company’s stock worth $714,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 6,991 shares of the company’s stock valued at $367,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,996 shares of the company’s stock valued at $263,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sapient Capital LLC boosted its stake in Monster Beverage by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 46,082 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,422,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. 72.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

NASDAQ MNST opened at $58.58 on Friday. 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 $60.09. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $52.02 and a 200 day moving average of $52.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.55, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MNST. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.83.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total value of $5,057,080.08. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 76,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,220,011.38. This trade represents a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Guy Carling sold 47,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.02, for a total value of $2,585,940.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 21,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,210,054.86. This trade represents a 68.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 208,316 shares of company stock worth $11,484,440 over the last 90 days. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.