UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) Stock

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by research analysts at UBS Group from $57.00 to $62.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. UBS Group's target price suggests a potential upside of 6.99% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on MNST. BNP Paribas dropped their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $57.33.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Shares of MNST stock opened at $57.95 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 3.13 and a quick ratio of 2.51. The company's fifty day moving average price is $55.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $53.05. Monster Beverage has a 12 month low of $43.32 and a 12 month high of $60.34.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). Monster Beverage had a net margin of 21.66% and a return on equity of 23.31%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Monster Beverage will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Monster Beverage

In other news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total value of $552,700.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 72,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,994,528.71. This trade represents a 12.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Emelie Tirre sold 91,316 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.38, for a total value of $5,057,080.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 76,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,220,011.38. This represents a 54.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 208,316 shares of company stock worth $11,484,440 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 7.80% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Monster Beverage

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MNST. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 62.5% in the 4th quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 528 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 13,578 shares of the company's stock valued at $714,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its stake in Monster Beverage by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 6,991 shares of the company's stock worth $367,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Monster Beverage by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 11,838 shares of the company's stock worth $622,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Level Four Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,996 shares of the company's stock valued at $263,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company's stock.

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.

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