Vontobel Holding Ltd. Increases Stake in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 32.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 53,442 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,157 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $3,079,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Peoples Bank KS bought a new stake in Monster Beverage during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new position in Monster Beverage in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 276.1% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 504 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Stock Down 1.5 %

Monster Beverage stock opened at $53.46 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $57.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $55.49. The firm has a market cap of $55.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.72. Monster Beverage Co. has a 52 week low of $47.13 and a 52 week high of $61.22.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 22.84% and a return on equity of 20.95%. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.28 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.81 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Monster Beverage

In other news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 659,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.55, for a total transaction of $38,584,450.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 777,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,542,532. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 9.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Monster Beverage from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, HSBC dropped their price target on Monster Beverage from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Monster Beverage currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.11.

About Monster Beverage

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.