Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Grows Position in Monster Beverage Corporation $MNST

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ:MNST) by 3.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,489,363 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 49,868 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $100,249,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MNST. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $544,584,000. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 4,877.8% in the second quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 7,283,879 shares of the company’s stock worth $456,262,000 after purchasing an additional 7,137,552 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 467.0% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,849,036 shares of the company’s stock worth $422,996,000 after purchasing an additional 5,641,160 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 3.2% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,483,584 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,542,320,000 after purchasing an additional 2,122,685 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 1,126.9% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,121,758 shares of the company’s stock valued at $132,907,000 after purchasing an additional 1,948,827 shares during the period. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Monster Beverage News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Monster Beverage this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and underlying momentum — MNST reported $0.51 EPS vs. $0.49 expected and $2.10B revenue vs. $2.04B expected; revenue rose ~17.6% YoY and margins expanded, driven by core energy‑drink strength and international growth. This is the primary catalyst supporting the stock. Zacks: Q4 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher price targets — Multiple firms raised targets (examples: Jefferies and Citi to $100, Deutsche Bank/Wells Fargo/Piper Sandler to ~$94, Stifel/UBS raised targets into the low‑$90s), signaling buy/overweight views that support further upside. Representative coverage of these moves is available. TickerReport: Analyst Moves
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and disclosures — Transcripts and highlights detail international expansion, segment trends and management commentary that investors will review for sustainability of growth; these items clarify future guidance but are information‑driven rather than immediate catalysts. Earnings Call Transcript Yahoo: Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and mixed analyst views cap near‑term gains — MNST trades at a high P/E (around 48x) and some large brokers maintain neutral/hold ratings or offer targets implying limited upside (JPMorgan’s target is lower than the current price), which can pressure the stock after a run. See current market summary for valuation context. MarketBeat: Stock Summary
• Negative Sentiment: High trading volume suggests profit‑taking — Volume has run above average on the news day, consistent with short‑term traders and some shareholders locking gains after the stock’s recent run toward its 12‑month high.

Monster Beverage Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of Monster Beverage stock opened at $85.30 on Friday. Monster Beverage Corporation has a twelve month low of $53.90 and a twelve month high of $87.38. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $80.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $72.41. The firm has a market cap of $83.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.97, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.45.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.02. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 28.44% and a net margin of 22.97%.The company had revenue of $2.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Monster Beverage Corporation will post 1.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MNST. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Monster Beverage from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. UBS Group upped their price objective on Monster Beverage from $84.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Monster Beverage from $83.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $73.00 price target (up from $53.00) on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Monster Beverage presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $83.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Rodney C. Sacks sold 206,543 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.58, for a total transaction of $15,197,433.94. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Emelie Tirre sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.31, for a total transaction of $2,199,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 63,939 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,687,368.09. This trade represents a 31.94% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 8.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Monster Beverage Company 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.