Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Buys 15,346 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 32.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 62,432 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,346 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $3,281,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds 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 valued at approximately $1,214,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position 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 valued at $8,101,000 after acquiring an additional 7,780 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 6.6% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 251,570 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,124,000 after acquiring an additional 15,611 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 6.7% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 151,364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,897,000 after acquiring an additional 9,496 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,090,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 48,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.89, for a total value of $2,634,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 296,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,293,876.94. The trade was a 13.92 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 value of $5,057,080.08. Following the completion of the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of MNST stock opened at $54.34 on Friday. 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $50.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $51.67. Monster Beverage Co. has a 12-month low of $43.32 and a 12-month high of $61.21. The firm has a market cap of $52.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 target price on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Citigroup raised their target price on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Monster Beverage has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $55.83.

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.