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

Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ:MNST) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $56.30.

MNST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Monster Beverage from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, BNP Paribas reduced their price objective on Monster Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

Shares of MNST stock opened at $51.72 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $50.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $53.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $51.05. Monster Beverage has a one year low of $43.32 and a one year high of $61.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Thomas J. Kelly sold 10,000 shares of Monster Beverage stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,944,748.60. This trade represents a 11.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 7.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Monster Beverage

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,363,935 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,156,000 after purchasing an additional 141,495 shares during the last quarter. American Trust purchased a new position in Monster Beverage during the third quarter worth $687,000. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 22.9% in the third quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 6,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 1,131 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the third quarter valued at $307,000. Finally, Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co boosted its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 10.4% during the third quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 7,071 shares of the company’s stock valued at $369,000 after acquiring an additional 664 shares during the last quarter. 72.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.