China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Acquires 8,209 Shares of Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ:MNST)

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 51.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,036 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,209 shares during the quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $1,407,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MNST. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Monster Beverage by 33.4% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,569 shares of the company's stock worth $293,000 after purchasing an additional 1,395 shares in the last quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. raised its stake in Monster Beverage by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 6,100 shares of the company's stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 452 shares in the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. raised its stake in Monster Beverage by 27.4% in the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 46,135 shares of the company's stock worth $2,425,000 after purchasing an additional 9,919 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter worth about $351,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on MNST. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. CICC Research raised shares of Monster Beverage from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the company from $56.00 to $65.00 in a report on Monday, May 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $67.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Monster Beverage presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $62.05.

Monster Beverage Stock Down 0.4%

Monster Beverage stock opened at $62.85 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.78, a current ratio of 3.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. Monster Beverage Corporation has a 12-month low of $43.32 and a 12-month high of $64.45. The firm's fifty day moving average is $62.45 and its 200 day moving average is $56.63. The company has a market capitalization of $61.29 billion, a PE ratio of 41.35, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.59.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 20.27% and a return on equity of 27.46%. Monster Beverage's quarterly revenue was down 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.42 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Monster Beverage Corporation will post 1.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Monster Beverage news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 8,796 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.46, for a total transaction of $549,398.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 89,501 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,590,232.46. The trade was a 8.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 27,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.40, for a total transaction of $1,711,800.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 69,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,391,908.20. This trade represents a 28.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 7.80% of the company's stock.

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.

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