SunTrust analyst William Chappell upgraded Monster Beverage (MNST) to Buy from Hold and raised his price target to $65 from $50, also raising his FY19 EPS view to $2.05 from $1.92. The analyst notes that after the recent declines in input costs and the "successful U.S. pricing actions", consensus expectations for the stock are too low, while the concerns over its partnership with Coca-Cola (KO) and challenges around growth in China are "overblown". After an 11% correction following Q3 earnings, Chappell believes that Monster Beverage shares offer an "attractive entry" opportunity.

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Truist downgraded Monster Beverage to Sell from Buy with a price target of $46, down from $65.

JPMorgan analyst Andrea Teixeira downgraded Monster Beverage to Neutral from Overweight with a price target of $59, down from $66, ahead of the company's Q1 earnings report on May 8. While the shares have already sold off, there are limited catalysts to the upside at this point as "long-hoped for potential price increases somehow lost their attractiveness" due to the latest run up in aluminum prices and an already-stretched lower income consumer, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Moreover, the firm says Monster's tracked and untracked channel trends are still challenged and it appears that household penetration and buy rates are pressured.