What happened
Shares of Monster Beverage (MNST +0.90%) gained as much as 5.1% in Thursday morning's trading session, following the company's release of strong second-quarter results. By 1:30 p.m. EDT, the energy drink maker's stock had moderated to a 2.4% increase over Wednesday's closing prices.
So what
In the second quarter, Monster's top-line net sales rose 12% year over year to $1.02 billion, right in line with analyst expectations. Earnings widened by 23%, landing at $0.48 per share. Here, the Street would have settled for $0.47 per share.
Energy drinks under the Monster brand saw their sales rising 14% while non-Monster energy brands that the company manages on behalf of distribution partner Coca-Cola (KO 0.09%) reported 6.8% lower revenue.
Image source: The author.
Now what
The company holds a unique place in the global beverage market.
"Growth in the beverage industry globally continues to be challenging," CEO Rodney Sacks admitted in a conference call with analysts. "However, we are seeing positive momentum in the energy category."
And since energy drinks are right in Monster's wheelhouse, the company can deliver solid growth while even mighty Coke has seen revenue dropping in each of the last six fiscal years. The company is also exploring international growth in a big way, as non-U.S. sales rose 18.5% and still accounted for just 29% of Monster's total revenue.
It's no surprise to see Monster's share prices rising on news of this solid quarter, especially since the company fell short of Wall Street's earnings targets in seven of the last eight quarterly reports.
