ING Groep NV Purchases 92,943 Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

ING Groep NV boosted its position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) by 459.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 113,191 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 92,943 shares during the period. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Monster Beverage were worth $5,949,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,214,000. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 154,125 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,101,000 after purchasing an additional 7,780 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 6.6% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 251,570 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,124,000 after purchasing an additional 15,611 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 6.7% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 151,364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,897,000 after purchasing an additional 9,496 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Miracle Mile Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,090,000. Institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on MNST shares. BNP Paribas decreased their price target on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Argus increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Monster Beverage currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $55.53.

Insider Activity at Monster Beverage

In related news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.65, for a total transaction of $526,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 74,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. This trade represents a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 7.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MNST opened at $53.00 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $51.54 billion, a PE ratio of 33.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.74. Monster Beverage Co. has a fifty-two week low of $43.32 and a fifty-two week high of $61.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a current ratio of 3.13. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $50.18 and a 200-day moving average of $50.97.

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.