GAMMA Investing LLC Increases Stake in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 5,880.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,254,259 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,233,286 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC owned approximately 0.13% of Monster Beverage worth $73,399,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 62.5% during the fourth quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 528 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC boosted its position in Monster Beverage by 259.2% in the fourth quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 686 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 495 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MNST traded up $0.42 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $63.42. 757,539 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,474,038. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1 year low of $43.32 and a 1 year high of $64.45. The company has a market cap of $61.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.60, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a current ratio of 3.13.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.42 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on MNST shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $67.00 target price on Monster Beverage and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Monster Beverage from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Monster Beverage currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $60.81.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 8,796 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.46, for a total transaction of $549,398.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 89,501 shares in the company, valued at $5,590,232.46. This trade represents a 8.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total value of $552,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 72,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,994,528.71. This represents a 12.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 152,796 shares of company stock valued at $8,688,558. 8.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Monster Beverage

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.