Cozad Asset Management Inc. Sells 23,402 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Cozad Asset Management Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 83.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 4,605 shares of the company’s stock after selling 23,402 shares during the period. Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $265,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MNST. Peoples Bank KS bought a new position in Monster Beverage in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Headinvest LLC bought a new position in Monster Beverage in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Monster Beverage in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Monster Beverage by 34.6% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 774 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Monster Beverage in the 3rd quarter valued at $53,000. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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

Monster Beverage Price Performance

MNST opened at $53.39 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $56.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.73. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1 year low of $47.13 and a 1 year high of $61.22. The company has a market capitalization of $55.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.74.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.43 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.90 billion. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 22.84% and a return on equity of 20.95%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.38 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Monster Beverage from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 26th. UBS Group increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Monster Beverage from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $66.00 to $59.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $61.68.

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.