Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) Now Covered by Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus

Research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) in a report released on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. The firm set a "buy" rating and a $72.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus' price objective suggests a potential upside of 13.05% from the stock's previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. CICC Research raised Monster Beverage from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $56.00 to $65.00 in a report on Monday, May 12th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Monster Beverage presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $61.67.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

MNST traded up $1.10 during trading on Thursday, reaching $63.69. 6,258,941 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,124,889. Monster Beverage has a 52 week low of $43.32 and a 52 week high of $64.45. The company has a current ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $60.66 and a 200 day moving average of $55.39. The stock has a market cap of $62.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.83, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.60.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 23.31%. The business had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.42 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Monster Beverage will post 1.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

In other news, insider Guy Carling sold 47,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.02, for a total transaction of $2,585,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 21,993 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,210,054.86. This represents a 68.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total value of $552,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 72,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,994,528.71. This trade represents a 12.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 92,796 shares of company stock valued at $5,399,838 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 8.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Monster Beverage

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MNST. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 37.1% in the 1st quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 724 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.