Two Sigma Advisers LP Invests $8.04 Million in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Two Sigma Advisers LP purchased a new position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 153,009 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,042,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 25.1% during the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 6,653 shares of the company's stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 1,335 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Monster Beverage by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,223 shares of the company's stock worth $117,000 after purchasing an additional 811 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its holdings in Monster Beverage by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 4,705 shares of the company's stock worth $247,000 after buying an additional 373 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Monster Beverage by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 9,321 shares of the company's stock valued at $490,000 after buying an additional 1,142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Simon Quick Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at about $216,000. Institutional investors own 72.36% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,220,011.38. The trade was a 54.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Guy Carling sold 47,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.02, for a total transaction of $2,585,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 21,993 shares in the company, valued at $1,210,054.86. The trade was a 68.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 217,112 shares of company stock valued at $12,033,838 over the last 90 days. 8.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Monster Beverage Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of MNST traded up $0.88 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $64.24. 5,266,259 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,933,942. Monster Beverage Co. has a twelve month low of $43.32 and a twelve month high of $64.37. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $59.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $54.65. The stock has a market cap of $62.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a quick ratio of 2.51, a current ratio of 3.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.01. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 23.31% and a net margin of 21.66%. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.42 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. CICC Research upgraded Monster Beverage from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the company from $56.00 to $65.00 in a report on Monday, May 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Citigroup upped their price target on Monster Beverage from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $60.81.

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.