Monster Beverage Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:MNST)

Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Traders purchased 34,725 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 554% compared to the typical volume of 5,306 put options.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

Shares of MNST stock opened at $51.92 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 2.51, a current ratio of 3.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. Monster Beverage has a 12-month low of $43.32 and a 12-month high of $61.22. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $50.21 and a 200-day moving average of $51.08.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 23.31% and a net margin of 21.66%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Monster Beverage will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. BNP Paribas lowered their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $52.00 to $51.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Friday, December 6th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.53.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.65, for a total value of $526,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at $3,944,748.60. The trade was a 11.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Monster Beverage

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

Monster Beverage Company 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.