Aurora Investment Counsel Acquires Shares of 40,102 Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST)

Aurora Investment Counsel bought a new position in Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 40,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,092,000. Monster Beverage comprises about 1.1% of Aurora Investment Counsel’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MNST. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd raised its stake in Monster Beverage by 2.3% during the second quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 23,858 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,192,000 after buying an additional 532 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 128.1% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 20,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,217,000 after acquiring an additional 11,528 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB increased its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 23.1% in the 2nd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 121,731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,080,000 after acquiring an additional 22,823 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 50.1% during the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 100,367 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,013,000 after acquiring an additional 33,478 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Monster Beverage by 6.8% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 2,077,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,408,000 after purchasing an additional 133,080 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Roth Mkm reduced their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $56.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Monster Beverage currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $56.45.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MNST opened at $53.70 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $51.05. The company has a current ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. Monster Beverage Co. has a 1 year low of $43.32 and a 1 year high of $61.22. The firm has a market cap of $52.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.74.

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.