Brokerages Set Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) PT at $55.53

Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-one brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and twelve have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $56.47.

MNST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup upped their price target on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Argus raised their price objective on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 target price on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

NASDAQ MNST opened at $54.82 on Friday. 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 has a 1 year low of $43.32 and a 1 year high of $61.22. The company has a market cap of $53.31 billion, a PE ratio of 35.14, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.74. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $50.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $51.33.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 23.31% and a net margin of 21.66%. On average, analysts predict that Monster Beverage will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Monster Beverage

In other news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 7.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Monster Beverage

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its holdings in Monster Beverage by 62.5% during the fourth quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Monster Beverage Company Profile

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.