Marks Group Wealth Management Inc Increases Stock Position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc grew its stake in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 78,040 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 967 shares during the period. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $4,102,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt raised its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 222.6% during the 3rd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 1,884 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Monster Beverage by 59.1% during the third quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,667 shares of the company’s stock valued at $452,000 after acquiring an additional 3,218 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC grew its position in Monster Beverage by 116.5% during the third quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC now owns 11,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $579,000 after acquiring an additional 5,970 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional raised its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 28.9% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 6,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $333,000 after acquiring an additional 1,434 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning lifted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 90,773 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,736,000 after acquiring an additional 10,284 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.65, for a total value of $526,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,944,748.60. This represents a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 7.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. BNP Paribas reduced their price objective on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Monster Beverage from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on Monster Beverage in a report on Friday, December 6th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $55.42.

Monster Beverage Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of MNST opened at $48.06 on Wednesday. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1-year low of $43.32 and a 1-year high of $61.22. The company has a current ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $50.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $51.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.81, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.74.

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.