Monster Beverage (MNST) is poised for a "solid" Q3 print with top and bottom line delivery, while investor concerns around deceleration remain given tougher comparisons, persistent freight costs, RBC Capital Market said in a Tuesday note.
Company tracked channel sales look strong and are up 8.1% for the September quarter, RBC said, adding that the energy drink category also remains on solid footing, with 14.5% growth for the quarter driven by 10% of volume growth across multiple channels and pricing accelerating to 3.4%.
Additionally, distribution expenses are slated to remain a headwind given the increase in freight cost, with Q3 slated to face sequential aluminum headwind with no guided normalization timeline, according to the note.
Regarding Rob Gehring leaving the company to become president of Coca-Cola's (KO) North America, RBC said that the development is both good and bad as it is loss for Monster commercially but should deepen the distribution partnership with Coca-Cola and accelerate long-term opportunities.
Monster Beverage is slated to report its Q3 results on Thursday.
RBC maintained its outperform rating with a $50 price target.
Price: 47.49, Change: -0.54, Percent Change: -1.11
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