Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) Shares Gap Up on Strong Earnings

Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ:MNST)’s share price gapped up before the market opened on Friday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $75.97, but opened at $84.50. Monster Beverage shares last traded at $85.6190, with a volume of 1,311,807 shares traded.

The company reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. Monster Beverage had a return on equity of 27.38% and a net margin of 22.97%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.47 EPS.

Trending Headlines about Monster Beverage

Here are the key news stories impacting Monster Beverage this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations — EPS $0.58 (vs. $0.53 est) and revenue above estimates, with strong operating and net income growth. Monster Beverage Reports 2026 First-Quarter Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: International sales acceleration — international revenue rose ~45%, now ~45% of total sales, helping overall top-line strength and margin expansion. Monster Beverage Sales Boosted by International Brands, Weaker Dollar
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price-target raises — Evercore raised its target and reiterated an outperform/buy stance, Wells Fargo raised its target to $87 with an overweight, and Rothschild & Co Redburn moved to buy; these lifts support further upside. Evercore ISI Sticks to Its Buy Rating for Monster Beverage (MNST) Wells Fargo Raises Price Target Rothschild & Co Redburn Rating Increase
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 conference call and transcript provide management detail on channels, pricing and international momentum — useful for judging sustainability but not a new catalyst by itself. Monster Beverage Corporation (MNST) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage notes and market write-ups reiterate the beat and provide summaries for investors; they amplify visibility but largely echo the same results. Monster Beverage (MNST) Surpasses Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MNST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Monster Beverage from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $77.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $96.00 target price (up from $87.00) on shares of Monster Beverage in a research note on Monday, January 26th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Monster Beverage from $88.00 to $80.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded Monster Beverage from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $76.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Monster Beverage from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.80.

Institutional Trading of Monster Beverage

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MNST. Capital Advisory Group Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Monster Beverage by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisory Group Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $371,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the period. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Monster Beverage by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. now owns 6,134 shares of the company’s stock worth $470,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in Monster Beverage by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 4,981 shares of the company’s stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its holdings in Monster Beverage by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 4,071 shares of the company’s stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Finally, Earned Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Monster Beverage by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,171 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.36% of the company’s stock.

Monster Beverage Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $83.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $76.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $75.94.

Monster Beverage Company Profile

Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ: MNST) is an American beverage company best known for its Monster Energy brand of energy drinks. The company’s product portfolio centers on carbonated energy beverages and a range of complementary ready-to-drink offerings, including energy coffees, hydration beverages and other flavored functional drinks. Monster markets multiple sub-brands and flavor variants to address different consumer segments and consumption occasions.

Originally organized around the Hansen’s Natural line of juices and sodas, the company pivoted toward the energy drink category and formally adopted the Monster Beverage name in the early 2010s to reflect its strategic focus.