Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Increases Stock Holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Free Report) by 85.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 90,506 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 41,696 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $4,757,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 62.5% in the fourth quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 528 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management bought a new stake in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Monster Beverage

In related news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total transaction of $5,057,080.08. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 76,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,220,011.38. This trade represents a 54.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark J. Hall sold 48,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.89, for a total value of $2,634,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 296,846 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,293,876.94. The trade was a 13.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 208,316 shares of company stock worth $11,484,440 over the last 90 days. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Monster Beverage stock traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $58.67. 3,898,245 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,046,508. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1 year low of $43.32 and a 1 year high of $60.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 3.13 and a quick ratio of 2.51. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $56.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.43.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 23.31% and a net margin of 21.66%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MNST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup increased their target price on Monster Beverage from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $58.39.

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.