Evercore ISI analyst Robert Ottenstein said he has been informed by a "handful of sources" that Monster Beverage, as well as the major convenience store distribution companies, are having talks with retailers regarding new price increases "with varying degrees of success," though some industry participants tell him they have not heard about anything beyond typical price discussions. Though it seems logical to him that Monster would look to close its price gap with Bang energy, "at this point, there is not enough information to make any judgments and price increase discussions are always a tug of war," the analyst added. Ottenstein has an In Line rating on Monster shares.