Blue Trust Inc. Has $453,000 Stock Position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 20.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 8,691 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,493 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $453,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Algert Global LLC bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the 2nd quarter worth about $234,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in Monster Beverage by 152.0% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 824 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 497 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage during the second quarter valued at approximately $8,850,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 318.6% in the 2nd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 104,857 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,238,000 after purchasing an additional 79,809 shares during the period. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $77,000. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

In other news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $3,944,748.60. The trade was a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on MNST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $55.42.

Monster Beverage Trading Down 1.3 %

NASDAQ:MNST opened at $48.71 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $51.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $51.19. Monster Beverage Co. has a fifty-two week low of $43.32 and a fifty-two week high of $61.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 3.13 and a quick ratio of 2.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.37 billion, a PE ratio of 31.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.74.

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.