Blue Trust Inc. Sells 4,351 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Blue Trust Inc. lowered its position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 60.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,847 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,351 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $150,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MNST. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its holdings in 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 last quarter. Spire Wealth Management bought a new stake in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Monster Beverage by 16,085.7% in the third quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 1,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 1,126 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Monster Beverage

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.65, for a total transaction of $526,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. This represents a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 7.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on MNST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Monster Beverage from $52.00 to $51.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on Monster Beverage in a report on Friday, December 6th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. BNP Paribas decreased their target price on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 target price on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $55.53.

Monster Beverage Stock Down 0.9 %

MNST stock opened at $51.21 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $49.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.74. The business has a 50-day moving average of $50.18 and a 200-day moving average of $50.96. Monster Beverage Co. has a fifty-two week low of $43.32 and a fifty-two week high of $61.22.

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.