1 Stat That Makes Monster Beverage Hard to Ignore Right Now
Key Points
Monster Beverage has no long-term debt, while Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Keurig Dr Pepper, and Celsius Holdings all carry billions of dollars in total debt.
Keurig Dr Pepper's long-term debt equals 74.2% of its market cap; Monster's is 0.0%.
Monster borrowed $750 million in 2024 to help fund a buyback, then repaid the three-year loan in 2025.
- 10 stocks we like better than Monster Beverage ›
Ask most beverage giants how much they owe, and the answer arrives with a lot of zeros attached. Ask Monster Beverage (NASDAQ: MNST), and the answer is just a single zero. That's right: Monster holds no long-term debt at all.
Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) carries $43.5 billion in long-term debt as of Oct. 2, 2026. PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP) has $42.6 billion. Keurig Dr. Pepper (NASDAQ: KDP) owes $31.2 billion. Even Celsius Holdings (NASDAQ: CELH), the young upstart, has $2.4 billion of debt.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Scaled to market cap, Keurig Dr. Pepper's long-term debt equals 74.2% of its value, Celsius 34.6%, PepsiCo 24.8%, and Coca-Cola 11.7%.
Monster's figure is still 0%.
Image source: Getty Images.
A lasting advantage
The energy drink titan does know how to borrow money from time to time. It took on $750 million in 2024 to help pay for a $3 billion buyback, then cleared the tab in 2025, well before the three-year loan came due. That's the difference between using debt and living off borrowed money.
A debt-free company also gets to pick its moments. Managing through a downturn, a juicy acquisition, or another massive buyback becomes a choice rather than an obligation, and nobody at the bank gets a vote.
The catch is Monster's valuation. The stock trades at 39.7 times free cash flow, the highest multiple in the non-alcoholic beverage group. You're paying for Monster's squeaky-clean balance sheet because the market already noticed. It's still a real advantage that isn't going away anytime soon.
Should you buy stock in Monster Beverage right now?
Before you buy stock in Monster Beverage, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Monster Beverage wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $365,910!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,418,530!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 930% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 211% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of October 2, 2026.
Anders Bylund has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Monster Beverage. The Motley Fool recommends Celsius Holdings. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Recommended Articles
