Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Shares Sold by Los Angeles Capital Management LLC

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC decreased its position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 40.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 924,077 shares of the company's stock after selling 632,960 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned about 0.09% of Monster Beverage worth $53,236,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of MNST. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Monster Beverage by 20.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 19,515,062 shares of the company's stock worth $1,033,323,000 after purchasing an additional 3,296,466 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Monster Beverage by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,638,653 shares of the company's stock valued at $404,467,000 after acquiring an additional 243,401 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in Monster Beverage by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 5,211,419 shares of the company's stock valued at $278,238,000 after acquiring an additional 305,086 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Monster Beverage by 33.5% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,782,074 shares of the company's stock worth $200,261,000 after acquiring an additional 948,133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its position in Monster Beverage by 61.5% during the third quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 3,431,785 shares of the company's stock worth $181,713,000 after acquiring an additional 1,307,482 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on MNST shares. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $58.00 to $56.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price 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 stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $61.32.

Insider Activity

In other Monster Beverage news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 659,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now owns 777,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,542,532. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 9.40% of the company's stock.

Monster Beverage Stock Up 3.0 %

NASDAQ:MNST traded up $1.61 on Friday, reaching $55.00. 12,204,284 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,490,875. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.74. Monster Beverage Co. has a 52-week low of $47.13 and a 52-week high of $61.22. The business has a fifty day moving average of $56.84 and a 200-day moving average of $55.73.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.43 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.90 billion. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 20.95% and a net margin of 22.84%. Monster Beverage's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.38 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.8 earnings per share for the current 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.

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