BNP Paribas Cuts Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) Price Target to $45.00

Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) had its price objective decreased by BNP Paribas from $46.00 to $45.00 in a research note published on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. BNP Paribas currently has an underperform rating on the stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on MNST. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Argus increased their target price on shares of Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Monster Beverage from $55.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Monster Beverage from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on shares of Monster Beverage in a research report on Friday, December 6th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $56.30.

Monster Beverage Price Performance

MNST stock opened at $51.72 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $53.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $51.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.15, a PEG ratio of 2.49 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a current ratio of 3.13.

Insider Activity

In related 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,944,748.60. This trade represents a 11.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 7.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Monster Beverage

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MNST. Stephens Consulting LLC bought a new stake in Monster Beverage during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Kings Path Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Monster Beverage in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of Monster Beverage in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Quarry LP grew its position in shares of Monster Beverage by 152.0% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 824 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 497 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Monster Beverage by 37.5% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 850 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. 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.