Signaturefd LLC Sells 1,078 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Signaturefd LLC decreased its holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 49,870 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,078 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $2,621,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its holdings in Monster Beverage by 62.5% during the 4th quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 528 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Monster Beverage Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of Monster Beverage stock opened at $56.21 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $54.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $50.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $51.85. Monster Beverage Co. has a 12-month low of $43.32 and a 12-month high of $61.21. The company has a current ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). Monster Beverage had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 23.31%. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MNST. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $55.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total transaction of $5,057,080.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 76,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,220,011.38. This trade represents a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Mark J. Hall sold 48,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.89, for a total transaction of $2,634,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 296,846 shares in the company, valued at $16,293,876.94. This trade represents a 13.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 198,316 shares of company stock valued at $10,931,740 in the last 90 days. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Monster Beverage Company 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.