Liontrust Investment Partners LLP Sells 42,490 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Liontrust Investment Partners LLP trimmed its stake in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 39.8% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 64,252 shares of the company’s stock after selling 42,490 shares during the period. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $3,209,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MNST. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 360.0% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 506 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Monster Beverage by 187.6% during the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 716 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares during the last quarter. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MNST opened at $47.28 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $49.22 and a 200-day moving average of $53.12. Monster Beverage Co. has a one year low of $43.32 and a one year high of $61.22. The stock has a market cap of $49.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.76.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.04). Monster Beverage had a net margin of 22.83% and a return on equity of 20.74%. The business had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.39 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Monster Beverage

In related news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 250,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.22, for a total value of $13,055,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 532,754 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,820,413.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 250,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.22, for a total value of $13,055,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 532,754 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,820,413.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Hilton H. Schlosberg sold 42,144 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.00, for a total value of $2,233,632.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,875,558 shares in the company, valued at approximately $99,404,574. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 307,221 shares of company stock worth $16,070,374. 7.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on MNST. Roth Mkm decreased their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $56.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 12th. BMO Capital Markets decreased 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. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Monster Beverage from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. UBS Group reduced their price objective 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Monster Beverage from $56.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Monster Beverage has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.