UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) Stock Price
by Michael Walen · The Markets DailyMonster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST – Free Report) had its price target lifted by UBS Group from $84.00 to $92.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock.
A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Monster Beverage from $85.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen lowered Monster Beverage from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Monster Beverage from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $82.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $96.00 price objective (up from $87.00) on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $83.90.
View Our Latest Analysis on MNST
Monster Beverage Stock Performance
MNST traded down $1.36 during trading on Friday, reaching $85.30. The company had a trading volume of 13,560,213 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,664,005. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $80.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $72.41. The company has a market cap of $83.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.97, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.45. Monster Beverage has a 12-month low of $53.90 and a 12-month high of $87.38.
Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.02. Monster Beverage had a net margin of 22.97% and a return on equity of 28.44%. The business had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Monster Beverage will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.
Insider Activity at Monster Beverage
In related news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.31, for a total transaction of $2,199,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 63,939 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,687,368.09. This trade represents a 31.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Rodney C. Sacks sold 206,543 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.58, for a total transaction of $15,197,433.94. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 8.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Monster Beverage
Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth about $691,104,000. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its holdings in Monster Beverage by 4,877.8% in the 2nd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 7,283,879 shares of the company’s stock worth $456,262,000 after purchasing an additional 7,137,552 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Monster Beverage by 7,360.7% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,191,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $474,695,000 after purchasing an additional 6,108,420 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Monster Beverage by 467.0% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,849,036 shares of the company’s stock valued at $422,996,000 after purchasing an additional 5,641,160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 133.4% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,499,546 shares of the company’s stock valued at $651,660,000 after purchasing an additional 4,858,109 shares during the period. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Key Monster Beverage News
Here are the key news stories impacting Monster Beverage this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and underlying momentum — MNST reported $0.51 EPS vs. $0.49 expected and $2.10B revenue vs. $2.04B expected; revenue rose ~17.6% YoY and margins expanded, driven by core energy‑drink strength and international growth. This is the primary catalyst supporting the stock. Zacks: Q4 Earnings Beat
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher price targets — Multiple firms raised targets (examples: Jefferies and Citi to $100, Deutsche Bank/Wells Fargo/Piper Sandler to ~$94, Stifel/UBS raised targets into the low‑$90s), signaling buy/overweight views that support further upside. Representative coverage of these moves is available. TickerReport: Analyst Moves
- Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and disclosures — Transcripts and highlights detail international expansion, segment trends and management commentary that investors will review for sustainability of growth; these items clarify future guidance but are information‑driven rather than immediate catalysts. Earnings Call Transcript Yahoo: Call Highlights
- Negative Sentiment: Valuation and mixed analyst views cap near‑term gains — MNST trades at a high P/E (around 48x) and some large brokers maintain neutral/hold ratings or offer targets implying limited upside (JPMorgan’s target is lower than the current price), which can pressure the stock after a run. See current market summary for valuation context. MarketBeat: Stock Summary
- Negative Sentiment: High trading volume suggests profit‑taking — Volume has run above average on the news day, consistent with short‑term traders and some shareholders locking gains after the stock’s recent run toward its 12‑month high.
About Monster Beverage
Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ: MNST) is an American beverage company best known for its Monster Energy brand of energy drinks. The company’s product portfolio centers on carbonated energy beverages and a range of complementary ready-to-drink offerings, including energy coffees, hydration beverages and other flavored functional drinks. Monster markets multiple sub-brands and flavor variants to address different consumer segments and consumption occasions.
Originally organized around the Hansen’s Natural line of juices and sodas, the company pivoted toward the energy drink category and formally adopted the Monster Beverage name in the early 2010s to reflect its strategic focus.
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