Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $56.30.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas dropped their price objective on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Argus increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th.

Insider Activity at Monster Beverage

In other news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.65, for a total transaction of $526,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 74,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. The trade was a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MNST. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd grew its holdings in Monster Beverage by 2.3% during the second quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 23,858 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,192,000 after acquiring an additional 532 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in Monster Beverage by 6.6% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 251,570 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,124,000 after buying an additional 15,611 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its holdings in Monster Beverage by 6.7% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 151,364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,897,000 after purchasing an additional 9,496 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Monster Beverage during the third quarter valued at about $630,000. Finally, Diversified Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $733,000. Institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

NASDAQ MNST opened at $49.99 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $53.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $51.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.05, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.74. Monster Beverage has a 52 week low of $43.32 and a 52 week high of $61.22. The company has a quick ratio of 2.51, a current ratio of 3.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

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.