Brokerages Set Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Price Target at $55.83

Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Hold" from the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $55.83.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup upped their price objective on Monster Beverage from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Monster Beverage from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Monster Beverage news, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total transaction of $5,057,080.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 76,201 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,220,011.38. The trade was a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 directly owns 21,993 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,210,054.86. The trade was a 68.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 208,316 shares of company stock valued at $11,484,440. Insiders own 7.80% of the company's stock.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On Monster Beverage

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 62.5% in the fourth quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 528 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management bought a new stake in Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 72.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

NASDAQ MNST traded down $0.10 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $57.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,156,180 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,704,156. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a current ratio of 3.13. The stock has a market cap of $56.20 billion, a PE ratio of 37.01, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.71. The company's 50-day moving average is $51.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.25. Monster Beverage has a fifty-two week low of $43.32 and a fifty-two week high of $60.13.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.02). Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 23.31% and a net margin of 21.66%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.80 billion. Analysts forecast that Monster Beverage will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

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.