Sapient Capital LLC Invests $3.07 Million in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 53,332 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,072,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in MNST. Peoples Bank KS acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Headinvest LLC bought a new position in Monster Beverage during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 34.6% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 774 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 3rd quarter valued at $53,000. Institutional investors own 72.36% of the company's stock.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Shares of MNST stock traded up $1.61 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $55.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 12,204,624 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,889,620. The company has a market cap of $57.30 billion, a PE ratio of 34.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.74. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $56.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $55.78. Monster Beverage Co. has a 52 week low of $47.13 and a 52 week high of $61.22.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $0.42 EPS 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 analyst estimates of $1.90 billion. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 21.13% and a net margin of 22.83%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.38 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MNST. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Citigroup increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Monster Beverage from $65.00 to $63.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 29th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Monster Beverage from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Monster Beverage currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.32.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 659,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 777,840 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $45,542,532. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 9.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.