Kensington Investment Counsel LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Kensington Investment Counsel LLC reduced its position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 19.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,762 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,762 shares during the period. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $1,722,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MNST. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Monster Beverage by 4.8% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 24,921 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,300,000 after buying an additional 1,137 shares in the last quarter. Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Monster Beverage in the third quarter valued at about $589,000. Claro Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Monster Beverage in the third quarter valued at about $393,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in Monster Beverage by 0.7% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 39,187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,045,000 after buying an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC increased its holdings in Monster Beverage by 5.5% in the third quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 14,057 shares of the company’s stock valued at $733,000 after buying an additional 733 shares in the last quarter. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Monster Beverage news, insider Guy Carling sold 47,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.02, for a total transaction of $2,585,940.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 21,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,210,054.86. This trade represents a 68.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total transaction of $5,057,080.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 76,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,220,011.38. This represents a 54.51 % decrease in their position. 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 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ MNST opened at $56.21 on Tuesday. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1 year low of $43.32 and a 1 year high of $61.21. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $50.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $51.85. The firm has a market cap 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a current ratio of 3.13.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 target price on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. BNP Paribas lowered their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Monster Beverage presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $55.83.

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.