Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) Stock

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) had its target price lifted by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $55.00 to $60.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target indicates a potential upside of 9.79% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $59.00 price target on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Monster Beverage from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Friday. Finally, Argus lifted their price target on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Monster Beverage has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $56.26.

Monster Beverage Stock Up 5.3 %

Shares of MNST opened at $54.65 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. Monster Beverage has a 12 month low of $43.32 and a 12 month high of $61.22. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $50.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.18. The firm has a market cap of $53.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.03, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.74.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Monster Beverage

In other Monster Beverage news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.65, for a total value of $526,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at $3,944,748.60. The trade was a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Monster Beverage

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MNST. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.