Signaturefd LLC Decreases Stock Position in Monster Beverage Corporation $MNST

Signaturefd LLC lessened its holdings in Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ:MNST) by 1.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 49,747 shares of the company’s stock after selling 925 shares during the quarter. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $3,116,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Monster Beverage in the first quarter worth $497,157,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 5,095.6% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,063,351 shares of the company’s stock worth $179,267,000 after purchasing an additional 3,004,391 shares during the last quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 54.7% during the 1st quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 5,366,126 shares of the company’s stock worth $303,728,000 after acquiring an additional 1,897,466 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in Monster Beverage by 34.6% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 7,278,206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $425,921,000 after buying an additional 1,872,075 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 69.8% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 3,032,591 shares of the company’s stock worth $180,894,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246,114 shares in the last quarter. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Shares of Monster Beverage stock opened at $65.34 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $62.72 and its 200 day moving average is $61.21. The stock has a market cap of $63.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.54. Monster Beverage Corporation has a one year low of $45.70 and a one year high of $67.13.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.04. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 27.46%. The company had revenue of $2.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. Monster Beverage’s revenue for the quarter 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 year.

Insider Transactions at Monster Beverage

In related news, Director Mark Vidergauz sold 10,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.73, for a total value of $637,300.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 51,191 shares in the company, valued at $3,262,402.43. This trade represents a 16.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 8.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MNST shares. Citigroup raised their target price on Monster Beverage from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Monster Beverage from $64.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. UBS Group raised their target price on Monster Beverage from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Monster Beverage from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on Monster Beverage from $66.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Monster Beverage presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.19.

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.