Alta Advisers Ltd Decreases Holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Alta Advisers Ltd trimmed its position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 14.3% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,886 shares of the company’s stock after selling 314 shares during the quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $94,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MNST. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter worth approximately $517,035,000. Ninety One UK Ltd increased its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 93.9% during the second quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 7,477,852 shares of the company’s stock valued at $373,519,000 after buying an additional 3,620,436 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 40.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,478,380 shares of the company’s stock valued at $603,659,000 after buying an additional 3,026,657 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 143.8% during the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 3,209,873 shares of the company’s stock valued at $184,921,000 after buying an additional 1,893,064 shares during the period. Finally, AMF Tjanstepension AB purchased a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the second quarter valued at approximately $81,757,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Stock Up 1.8 %

Monster Beverage stock opened at $50.83 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $49.79 billion, a PE ratio of 31.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.69 and a current ratio of 3.41. Monster Beverage Co. has a one year low of $43.32 and a one year high of $61.22. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $48.99 and a 200 day moving average of $52.48.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.01 billion. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 22.84% and a return on equity of 22.23%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.39 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.66 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on MNST shares. UBS Group reduced their target price on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $51.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Monster Beverage in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $48.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Monster Beverage from $56.00 to $54.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Monster Beverage from $56.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.85.

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.