Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ: MNST) reported fourth-quarter results that exceeded Wall Street expectations, though shares declined more than 2% in premarket trading Friday as investors reacted to rising operating expenses.
The energy drink manufacturer posted adjusted earnings per share of $0.51 for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.03. Revenue rose 17.6% to $2.13 billion, surpassing the $2.04 billion estimate and marking the first time the company exceeded $2.0 billion in a fiscal fourth quarter. This represented a significant acceleration from $1.81 billion in the prior-year period.
Adjusted operating expenses increased 21.4% to $561.6 million, outpacing revenue growth. As a percentage of adjusted net sales excluding alcohol, operating expenses rose to 26.7% from 26.0% a year earlier. Adjusted operating income increased 16.0% year over year to $617.6 million.
International sales climbed 26.9% to $903.3 million, compared with $711.5 million in the prior-year quarter. The Monster Energy Drinks segment posted 18.9% sales growth to $1.99 billion.
Gross profit margin improved slightly to 55.5% from 55.3%, supported by pricing actions and supply chain efficiencies, partially offset by higher aluminum can costs.
Net income surged 65.9% to $449.2 million, or $0.46 per diluted share, compared with $270.7 million, or $0.28 per share, a year earlier. On an adjusted basis, net income rose 31.2% to $507.0 million.
For full-year 2025, Monster reported revenue of $8.29 billion, up 10.7% from $7.49 billion in 2024.
