Quantinno Capital Management LP Buys 122,684 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 127.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 218,634 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 122,684 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP's holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $11,491,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MNST. Norges Bank bought a new position in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth about $442,642,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 659.1% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 4,872,972 shares of the company's stock worth $251,445,000 after buying an additional 4,231,063 shares during the period. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 250.9% during the fourth quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 3,468,660 shares of the company's stock worth $178,801,000 after buying an additional 2,480,291 shares in the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $121,575,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $106,882,000. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Trading Up 0.9%

Monster Beverage stock traded up $0.53 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $62.86. 8,363,444 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,978,827. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 3.13 and a quick ratio of 2.51. Monster Beverage Co. has a 52-week low of $43.32 and a 52-week high of $62.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.63. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $58.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.24.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.42 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MNST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Bank of America upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Roth Mkm raised their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $60.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total transaction of $552,700.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 72,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,994,528.71. This trade represents a 12.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Mark J. Hall sold 12,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.50, for a total transaction of $654,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 296,846 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,178,107. This trade represents a 3.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 208,316 shares of company stock worth $11,484,440 over the last 90 days. 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.