Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Position Boosted by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 9.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,588,690 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 138,788 shares during the quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned 0.16% of Monster Beverage worth $83,502,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MNST. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company's stock.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Shares of MNST traded down $0.59 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $58.69. 1,992,285 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,481,122. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a current ratio of 3.13. The business's 50-day moving average price is $55.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.64. Monster Beverage Co. has a 12 month low of $43.32 and a 12 month high of $60.34.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $59.00 price objective on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $57.89.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total transaction of $552,700.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 72,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,994,528.71. The trade was a 12.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was 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 owns 76,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,220,011.38. This trade represents a 54.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 208,316 shares of company stock valued at $11,484,440 over the last 90 days. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Monster Beverage 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.