Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Receives $55.42 Average Target Price from Analysts

Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-one ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and twelve have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $55.42.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. BNP Paribas lowered their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. UBS Group cut their target price on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC started coverage on Monster Beverage in a report on Friday, December 6th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company.

Insider Activity

In other Monster Beverage news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.65, for a total value of $526,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. This trade represents a 11.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MNST. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in Monster Beverage by 109.3% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 22,559,092 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,176,913,000 after buying an additional 11,779,162 shares during the last quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. boosted its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 250.9% during the 4th quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 3,468,660 shares of the company’s stock valued at $178,801,000 after acquiring an additional 2,480,291 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 1,148.0% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,596,888 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,480,000 after buying an additional 2,388,798 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 33,742,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,760,341,000 after purchasing an additional 2,168,379 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $106,882,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Trading Up 0.6 %

MNST opened at $46.57 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $51.02 and a 200 day moving average of $51.07. 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 12 month low of $43.32 and a 12 month high of $61.22. The firm has a market cap of $45.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.74.

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.