Ninety One North America Inc. Has $7.79 Million Stock Position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Ninety One North America Inc. grew its stake in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 26.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 135,165 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 28,548 shares during the period. Ninety One North America Inc.'s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $7,787,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MNST. Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC purchased a new position in Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Peoples Bank KS purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Ancora Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Quarry LP grew its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 276.1% in the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 504 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.36% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 659,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.55, for a total value of $38,584,450.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 777,840 shares in the company, valued at $45,542,532. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Monster Beverage from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Monster Beverage from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Monster Beverage in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, HSBC lowered their price target on Monster Beverage from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $63.11.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MNST traded down $0.79 during trading on Thursday, hitting $53.46. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,757,128 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,299,096. Monster Beverage Co. has a fifty-two week low of $47.13 and a fifty-two week high of $61.22. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $57.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.50. The company has a market capitalization of $55.63 billion, a PE ratio of 35.00, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.72.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.38. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 20.95% and a net margin of 22.84%. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.28 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.