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

Shares of Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-one brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $55.85.

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $59.00 to $57.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Roth Mkm cut their price target on Monster Beverage from $56.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 12th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Monster Beverage from $64.00 to $60.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th.

Insider Transactions at Monster Beverage

In related news, CEO Hilton H. Schlosberg sold 42,144 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.00, for a total value of $2,233,632.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,875,558 shares in the company, valued at $99,404,574. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Hilton H. Schlosberg sold 42,144 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.00, for a total transaction of $2,233,632.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,875,558 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $99,404,574. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Mark Vidergauz sold 15,077 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.85, for a total transaction of $781,742.45. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 68,167 shares in the company, valued at $3,534,458.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Monster Beverage

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Stephens Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Monster Beverage by 360.0% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 506 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 396 shares during the period. Finally, Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

NASDAQ MNST opened at $48.22 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $48.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $52.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 3.41 and a quick ratio of 2.69. The company has a market capitalization of $50.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.33, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.76. Monster Beverage has a 1-year low of $43.32 and a 1-year high of $61.22.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.01 billion. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 22.84% and a return on equity of 22.23%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.39 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Monster Beverage will post 1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.