Monster Beverage Corp (NASDAQ:MNST) stock rose 0.68% (As on February 27, 11:20:29 AM UTC-4, Source: Google Finance) after the company beat fourth-quarter sales and profit estimates, helped by resilient demand for its energy drinks amid economic uncertainty. Health-conscious consumers have been choosing energy and sugar-free drinks over regular sodas, with demand for energy drinks holding firm even as inflation squeezes household budgets. Sales in the Monster Energy Drinks segment, the company’s largest, climbed 18.9% to $1.99 billion during the quarter. However, sales in the alcohol brands segment dropped 16.8% from a year earlier to $29 million. Monster’s gross margin edged up to 55.5% from 55.3% a year earlier, as pricing actions and supply-chain efficiencies offset higher aluminum costs. While CEO Hilton Schlosberg said that current tariffs will not have a material impact on operating results, he added that the company expects a modest increase in costs in at least the first half of 2026, compared to the fourth quarter of 2025. Net income surged 65.9% to $449.2 million, or $0.46 per diluted share, compared to $270.7 million, or $0.28 per share, in the year-ago period.

Moreover, in the United States, for the recently reported 13-week period through February the fourteenth, 2026, sales in $ in the energy drink category, including energy shots for all outlets combined, namely convenience, grocery, drug, mass merchandisers, increased by 12.9% versus the same period a year ago. In EMEA, coincidentally also grew at 12.9% versus the same period last year, FX neutral. In APAC, the energy drink category, Circana, and INTAGE for the tracked channels for the recently reported 13-week period, which differs from country to country, grew at 16.8% versus the same period last year.

MNST in the fourth quarter of FY25 has reported the adjusted earnings per share of $0.51, beating the analysts’ estimates for the adjusted earnings per share of $0.48. The company had reported the adjusted revenue growth of 17.6 percent to $2.13 billion in the fourth quarter of FY25, beating the analysts’ estimates for revenue of $2.04 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Adjusted operating expenses rose 21.4% to $561.6 million compared to $462.5 million in the year-ago period, growing faster than revenue. As a percentage of adjusted net sales excluding alcohol, operating expenses increased to 26.7% from 26.0% in the prior year quarter. The company reported adjusted operating income of $617.6 million, up 16.0% YoY.