Czech National Bank Acquires 9,370 Shares of Monster Beverage Corporation $MNST

Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ:MNST) by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 181,034 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,370 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $12,185,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Access Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Monster Beverage during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 1,338.7% in the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 446 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Monster Beverage by 647.3% in the second quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 553 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 479 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Webster Bank N. A. bought a new stake in Monster Beverage during the second quarter worth about $38,000. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

NASDAQ MNST opened at $75.46 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $71.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $65.88. The stock has a market cap of $73.73 billion, a PE ratio of 42.88, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.48. Monster Beverage Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $45.70 and a fifty-two week high of $76.28.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $2.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.11 billion. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 27.76% and a net margin of 21.65%.Monster Beverage’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.41 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Monster Beverage Corporation will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

In other news, Director Rodney C. Sacks sold 206,543 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.58, for a total value of $15,197,433.94. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Guy Carling sold 38,438 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.33, for a total transaction of $2,741,782.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 21,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,568,760.69. This trade represents a 63.61% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 274,981 shares of company stock worth $20,138,516. 8.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MNST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $80.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $81.00 target price (up from $74.00) on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Monster Beverage from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.29.

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.