UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) Stock

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by UBS Group from $63.00 to $64.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. UBS Group's price target suggests a potential upside of 8.47% from the stock's previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Monster Beverage from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Monster Beverage from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Monster Beverage from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $61.91.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

Shares of Monster Beverage stock traded down $0.09 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $59.00. 5,424,956 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,005,228. The business has a 50-day moving average of $62.35 and a 200 day moving average of $56.96. Monster Beverage has a fifty-two week low of $43.32 and a fifty-two week high of $64.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.54 billion, a PE ratio of 38.82, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 2.78, a current ratio of 3.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.01. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 27.46% and a net margin of 20.27%. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.42 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Monster Beverage will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

In other news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 8,796 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.46, for a total value of $549,398.16. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 89,501 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,590,232.46. This trade represents a 8.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 27,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.40, for a total value of $1,711,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 69,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,391,908.20. The trade was a 28.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 8.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Monster Beverage

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MNST. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 259.2% in the fourth quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 686 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 495 shares in the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Webster Bank N. A. acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the second quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its stake in Monster Beverage by 37.1% in the first quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 724 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.