Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) Given New $62.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) had its price objective raised by UBS Group from $57.00 to $62.00 in a report released on Thursday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 target price on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Monster Beverage in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $57.33.

Monster Beverage Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MNST opened at $58.41 on Thursday. 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 $60.34. The business has a 50 day moving average of $55.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $53.09. The company has a market capitalization of $56.84 billion, a PE ratio of 37.44, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.64.

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.02). The firm 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Monster Beverage will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Guy Carling sold 47,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.02, for a total transaction of $2,585,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 21,993 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,210,054.86. The trade was a 68.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,220,011.38. The trade was a 54.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 208,316 shares of company stock worth $11,484,440 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MNST. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its holdings 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 during the period. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new position in Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Monster Beverage during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Company Profile

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.