Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Shares Bought by Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC

Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC raised its stake in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 680,982 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,033 shares during the quarter. Monster Beverage makes up approximately 3.2% of Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Monster Beverage worth $39,231,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC acquired a new position in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Peoples Bank KS acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 276.1% during the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 504 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 370 shares during the period. 72.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 659,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.55, for a total value of $38,584,450.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 777,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,542,532. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 9.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Monster Beverage from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.11.

Monster Beverage Trading Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ:MNST traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $55.75. The company had a trading volume of 1,010,838 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,194,117. The company has a 50-day moving average of $57.42 and a 200 day moving average of $55.46. The company has a market cap of $58.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.72. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1 year low of $47.13 and a 1 year high of $61.22.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.38. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 20.95% and a net margin of 22.84%. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.76 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.28 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Monster Beverage Co. will post 1.81 earnings per share for the current year.

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.