Wells Fargo analyst Bonnie Herzog noted that Monster Beverage's (MNST) 8.7% U.S. net sales growth in Q1 was far ahead of her estimate and both the Nielsen data and Beverage Buzz survey, stating that it is still not clear to her how much is due to strong shipments versus actual sell-through. She is not sure sales in non-measured channels, such as Costco (COST), Amazon (AMZN) and Lowes (LOW), are enough to explain the difference and concerned that the weak Nielsen scanner data could be a better indicator of consumer purchases and interest in Monster products. Herzog raised her price target on Monster shares to $56 from $53, but maintains her Market Perform rating, citing competitive concerns.