Mizuho Securities USA LLC Sells 10,298 Shares of Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ:MNST)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ:MNST) by 15.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 56,066 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,298 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $3,281,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cynosure Group LLC increased its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 5.8% during the first quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 6,224 shares of the company’s stock valued at $364,000 after acquiring an additional 341 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the first quarter valued at approximately $4,800,000. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 21.7% during the first quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 123,248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,213,000 after acquiring an additional 21,938 shares in the last quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC increased its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 33.3% during the first quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 9,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $530,000 after acquiring an additional 2,266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NS Partners Ltd increased its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 0.8% during the first quarter. NS Partners Ltd now owns 353,298 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,675,000 after acquiring an additional 2,672 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Monster Beverage

In other news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 27,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.40, for a total value of $1,711,800.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 69,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,391,908.20. The trade was a 28.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Emelie Tirre sold 8,796 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.46, for a total transaction of $549,398.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 89,501 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,590,232.46. This trade represents a 8.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Stock Up 6.4%

Shares of MNST stock opened at $64.69 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $63.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.18, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.55. Monster Beverage Corporation has a 52 week low of $45.19 and a 52 week high of $66.75. The company has a quick ratio of 3.00, a current ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $61.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $58.12.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.04. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 27.46%. The business had revenue of $2.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.41 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Monster Beverage Corporation will post 1.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $73.00 target price on shares of Monster Beverage and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $66.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $64.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.90.

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.