Monster Beverage Corporation $MNST Stock: China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Grows Holdings

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ:MNST) by 123.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 65,913 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 36,465 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $2,751,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. CI Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 3.5% in the first quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 3,497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $253,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 2.8% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 4,981 shares of the company’s stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC lifted its position in Monster Beverage by 2.2% during the first quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 6,752 shares of the company’s stock worth $489,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional lifted its position in Monster Beverage by 2.4% during the second quarter. CX Institutional now owns 6,384 shares of the company’s stock worth $614,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in Monster Beverage by 1.0% during the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 17,596 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,275,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $52.00 target price on Monster Beverage in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on Monster Beverage from $95.00 to $50.00 in a report on Sunday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $50.00 price target (up from $48.00) on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective (up from $98.00) on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Monster Beverage from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.86.

Monster Beverage Stock Up 1.5%

NASDAQ:MNST opened at $46.35 on Friday. Monster Beverage Corporation has a 52 week low of $32.94 and a 52 week high of $50.17. The company has a market capitalization of $90.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.49. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $44.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.05.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.43 billion. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 26.02% and a net margin of 23.08%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.26 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Monster Beverage Corporation will post 1.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Monster Beverage

Monster Beverage Corporation is a global beverage company focused primarily on the development, marketing, sale and distribution of energy drinks. Its portfolio includes the flagship Monster Energy brand, along with products marketed under brands such as NOS, Full Throttle, Reign, Burn and Mother. The company offers a range of energy drinks in different flavors and formulations, including products positioned for performance, fitness and everyday consumption.

The company traces its origins to Hansen Natural Corporation, which was founded in 1935 and changed its name to Monster Beverage Corporation in 2012 as the Monster Energy brand became increasingly central to its business.