Deutsche Bank AG Boosts Stock Position in Monster Beverage Corporation $MNST

Key Points

• Deutsche Bank AG increased its Monster Beverage stake by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, ending with 4.07 million shares valued at about $312.3 million.
• Monster Beverage reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $0.58 topping estimates and revenue of $2.32 billion, up 22.6% year over year.
• The company’s board authorized a $500 million share repurchase program, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $89.05.

Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in shares of Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,072,946 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 25,435 shares during the quarter. Deutsche Bank AG owned 0.42% of Monster Beverage worth $312,273,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Advisory Group Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Monster Beverage by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisory Group Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,841 shares of the company's stock valued at $371,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its stake in Monster Beverage by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 4,071 shares of the company's stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Monster Beverage by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,171 shares of the company's stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC grew its stake in Monster Beverage by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 11,123 shares of the company's stock valued at $853,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sowell Financial Services LLC grew its stake in Monster Beverage by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 5,622 shares of the company's stock valued at $431,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.36% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America dropped their price target on Monster Beverage from $100.00 to $96.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price objective (up from $80.00) on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Friday, May 8th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $88.00 to $80.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $100.00 price objective on Monster Beverage in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Monster Beverage from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $89.05.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 88,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.96, for a total value of $7,624,652.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 81,763 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,028,347.48. This represents a 52.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark J. Hall sold 54,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.81, for a total value of $4,633,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 299,246 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,678,299.26. The trade was a 15.29% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 159,700 shares of company stock valued at $13,730,462. 8.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Monster Beverage Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of MNST stock opened at $91.21 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $89.20 billion, a PE ratio of 44.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.54. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $79.02. Monster Beverage Corporation has a 52-week low of $58.09 and a 52-week high of $91.47.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.16 billion. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 26.86% and a net margin of 23.11%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.47 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Monster Beverage Corporation will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Monster Beverage declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Friday, May 15th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 0.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

About Monster Beverage

Monster Beverage Corporation NASDAQ: MNST is an American beverage company best known for its Monster Energy brand of energy drinks. The company's product portfolio centers on carbonated energy beverages and a range of complementary ready-to-drink offerings, including energy coffees, hydration beverages and other flavored functional drinks. Monster markets multiple sub-brands and flavor variants to address different consumer segments and consumption occasions.

Originally organized around the Hansen's Natural line of juices and sodas, the company pivoted toward the energy drink category and formally adopted the Monster Beverage name in the early 2010s to reflect its strategic focus.

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