Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) CFO Thomas J. Kelly Sells 10,000 Shares

Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total value of $552,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 72,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,994,528.71. The trade was a 12.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Monster Beverage Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of Monster Beverage stock traded up $0.59 on Tuesday, hitting $56.80. 5,476,802 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,673,100. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $50.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $51.85. 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 52 week low of $43.32 and a 52 week high of $61.21. The company has a market cap of $55.28 billion, a PE ratio of 36.41, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Monster Beverage

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MNST. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its holdings in Monster Beverage by 62.5% during the fourth quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new position in Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MNST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.83.

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.