Monster Beverage Corporation (MNST) is a leading American beverage company headquartered in Corona, California. Originally founded as Hansen's in 1935, the company rebranded to Monster Beverage in 2012 to reflect its focus on energy drinks. With a market cap of $58.6 billion, Monster operates through Monster Energy Drinks, Strategic Brands, Alcohol Brands, and Other segments.

Shares of the beverage giant have surpassed the broader market over the past year. MNST stock has surged 12.5% over the past 52 weeks and 14.3% on a YTD basis. In comparison, the S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has returned 12.3% over the past year but has dropped 3.3% in 2025.

Narrowing the focus, Monster has also outperformed the Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF’s (FTXG) 6.8% decline over the past 52 weeks and a marginal dip this year.

Monster Beverage continues to demonstrate resilience as a defensive play within the food and beverage sector, outperforming amidst broader market weakness. On Apr. 3, shares advanced over 1%, reflecting heightened investor interest in stable, non-cyclical businesses with recession-resistant fundamentals. 

For the current year ending in December 2025, analysts predict MNST’s EPS to climb 13.6% year over year to $1.84. However, the company has missed analysts’ consensus estimates in each of the past four quarters.

Among the 20 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a “Moderate Buy.” That’s based on 10 “Strong Buy” ratings, one “Moderate Buy,” seven “Hold,” and two “Strong Sell.”

This configuration is less bullish than a month ago, when the stock had 11 “Strong Buy” ratings. 

On April 23, Truist Financial Corporation (TFC) analyst Bill Chappell raised the price target for Monster Beverage from $40 to $50 but maintained a “Sell” rating. 

While MNST currently hovers above its mean price target of $59.03, its Street-high of $71 suggests an 18.2% upside potential from current price levels.