BNP Paribas Has Lowered Expectations for Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) Stock Price

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) had its price objective decreased by BNP Paribas from $46.00 to $45.00 in a report published on Thursday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. BNP Paribas currently has an underperform rating on the stock.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on MNST. Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday, December 6th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Argus raised their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $56.30.

Monster Beverage Stock Up 1.6 %

MNST stock opened at $51.72 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.30 billion, a PE ratio of 33.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.74. Monster Beverage has a 52 week low of $43.32 and a 52 week high of $61.22. The company has a quick ratio of 2.51, a current ratio of 3.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $53.57 and a 200 day moving average of $51.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. This represents a 11.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 7.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Stephens Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in Monster Beverage by 152.0% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 824 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 497 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 37.5% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 850 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 232 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

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.