Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $63.11.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MNST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Monster Beverage from $63.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Monster Beverage in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

Monster Beverage stock opened at $54.11 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $56.31 billion, a PE ratio of 34.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.72. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $57.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.50. Monster Beverage has a 1-year low of $47.13 and a 1-year high of $61.22.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.38. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.76 billion. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 20.95% and a net margin of 22.84%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.28 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Monster Beverage will post 1.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

In other news, Director Mark J. Hall sold 659,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.55, for a total value of $38,584,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 777,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,542,532. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 9.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 98.4% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,001,871 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,836,434,000 after buying an additional 16,863,544 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at $517,035,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 103.0% during the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,361,510 shares of the company’s stock worth $773,729,000 after purchasing an additional 7,287,123 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 20.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 19,515,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,033,323,000 after purchasing an additional 3,296,466 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 40.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,478,380 shares of the company’s stock valued at $603,659,000 after purchasing an additional 3,026,657 shares in the last quarter. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.