Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ Purchases New Shares in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 235,605 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,383,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Monster Beverage by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,112,000 shares of the company's stock worth $897,012,000 after acquiring an additional 1,383,914 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Monster Beverage by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 8,590,994 shares of the company's stock worth $451,543,000 after acquiring an additional 734,406 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth approximately $442,642,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Monster Beverage by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,357,921 shares of the company's stock worth $386,732,000 after acquiring an additional 825,489 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Monster Beverage by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,406,131 shares of the company's stock valued at $284,146,000 after buying an additional 493,914 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.36% of the company's stock.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MNST traded down $0.12 on Monday, hitting $63.83. The company had a trading volume of 5,070,141 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,792,337. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1-year low of $43.32 and a 1-year high of $64.45. The stock has a market cap of $62.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.63. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $60.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $54.95. 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 (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 23.31%. The firm had revenue of $1.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.42 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

In related news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 48,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.89, for a total value of $2,634,720.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 296,846 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,293,876.94. This represents a 13.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total transaction of $5,057,080.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 76,201 shares in the company, 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 have sold a total of 244,112 shares of company stock worth $13,745,638 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 8.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MNST shares. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Roth Mkm increased their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. CICC Research raised Monster Beverage from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $56.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Roth Capital increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Monster Beverage presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.