Sapient Capital LLC Makes New $2.27 Million Investment in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 39,332 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,266,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MNST. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 3.3% in the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 6,759 shares of the company's stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Monster Beverage by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,097,590 shares of the company's stock valued at $87,699,000 after buying an additional 27,858 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL grew its holdings in Monster Beverage by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 2,537 shares of the company's stock valued at $203,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 76.1% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 37,492 shares of the company's stock worth $2,997,000 after acquiring an additional 16,206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aviva PLC lifted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 91.4% in the first quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 114,297 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,132,000 after acquiring an additional 54,586 shares in the last quarter. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Monster Beverage news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 659,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.55, for a total transaction of $38,584,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 777,840 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $45,542,532. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 9.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

NASDAQ:MNST traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $55.01. The stock had a trading volume of 5,634,371 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,234,298. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $57.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $55.46. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1-year low of $47.13 and a 1-year high of $61.22. The company has a market capitalization of $57.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.72.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.38. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.76 billion. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 20.95% and a net margin of 22.84%. The business's revenue was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.28 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Monster Beverage from $63.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $63.11.

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.