Monster Beverage Executives Reap $449 Million From Buyback Offer

Monster Beverage Corp. has paid two top executives a combined $449 million in exchange for about 2.88 million shares purchased as part of a tender offer announced last month. The Corona, California-based company paid Chief Executive Officer Rodney Sacks and Chief Financial Officer Hilton Schlosberg $156 per share, according to regulatory filings. The two jointly own most of their stakes in the energy-drink maker through a number of limited partnerships. Monster announced last month that it would spend as much as $2 billion on a modified Dutch auction to buy back shares at prices ranging from $142 to $160. The company purchased about 12.8 million shares in total, or 6.3 percent of the outstanding equity. Sacks and Schlosberg, both billionaires, created Monster after buying debt-laden soda maker Hansen Natural Corp. in 1992. The two saw some of the biggest windfalls among any U.S. executives last year as they saw gains of $598 million from exercising options.