United Asset Strategies Inc. Purchases 3,954 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

United Asset Strategies Inc. boosted its position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 128,443 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,954 shares during the period. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $7,400,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC bought a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Peoples Bank KS bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 276.1% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 504 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 370 shares during the period. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MNST traded up $0.39 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $54.50. 1,797,438 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,235,633. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.72. Monster Beverage Co. has a 52-week low of $47.13 and a 52-week high of $61.22. The business’s fifty day moving average is $57.38 and its 200-day moving average is $55.50.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MNST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Citigroup upped their price target on Monster Beverage from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Monster Beverage presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.11.

Insider Activity

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

About Monster Beverage

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.