Calamos Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Calamos Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 353,687 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,641 shares during the period. Calamos Advisors LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $20,376,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MNST. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in Monster Beverage by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 10,286 shares of the company’s stock valued at $822,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 2,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $203,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the period. Delta Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Delta Financial Advisors LLC now owns 19,168 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,015,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 3,659 shares of the company’s stock worth $211,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the period. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $41,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the period. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Monster Beverage stock traded down $0.43 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $53.03. 875,593 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,238,359. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.19 billion, a PE ratio of 34.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.72. Monster Beverage Co. has a fifty-two week low of $47.13 and a fifty-two week high of $61.22. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $57.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.49.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.38. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 20.95% and a net margin of 22.84%. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.76 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.28 earnings per share. Monster Beverage’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Monster Beverage in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 26th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

In other news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 659,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.55, for a total value of $38,584,450.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 777,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,542,532. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 9.40% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.