WMS Group LLC Invests $1.11 Million in Monster Beverage Corporation $MNST

WMS Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ:MNST) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 14,440 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,107,000. Monster Beverage makes up 1.4% of WMS Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in Monster Beverage by 136.7% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 355 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 1,338.7% in the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 446 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 415 shares during the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

NASDAQ MNST opened at $91.34 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $89.33 billion, a PE ratio of 44.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a fifty day moving average of $84.04 and a 200 day moving average of $79.87. Monster Beverage Corporation has a 1 year low of $58.09 and a 1 year high of $93.92.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.16 billion. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 26.86% and a net margin of 23.11%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.47 EPS. Research analysts expect that Monster Beverage Corporation will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Monster Beverage declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Friday, May 15th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 0.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 7,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.81, for a total transaction of $614,670.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 62,553 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,492,778.93. This trade represents a 10.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Guy Carling sold 19,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.90, for a total transaction of $1,727,100.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 21,863 shares in the company, valued at $1,987,346.70. This trade represents a 46.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 178,700 shares of company stock valued at $15,457,562 in the last three months. 8.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Monster Beverage from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Monster Beverage from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Monster Beverage from $88.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Argus increased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Monster Beverage from $81.00 to $78.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.35.

Monster Beverage Profile

Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ: MNST) is an American beverage company best known for its Monster Energy brand of energy drinks. The company’s product portfolio centers on carbonated energy beverages and a range of complementary ready-to-drink offerings, including energy coffees, hydration beverages and other flavored functional drinks. Monster markets multiple sub-brands and flavor variants to address different consumer segments and consumption occasions.

Originally organized around the Hansen’s Natural line of juices and sodas, the company pivoted toward the energy drink category and formally adopted the Monster Beverage name in the early 2010s to reflect its strategic focus.