Why Did CELH Stock Spike Over 8% In After-Hours Trading Today?

Celsius, during a presentation at the CAGNY conference on Thursday, said it has been positioning itself through an expanded assortment that gives retailers more choice and consumers more relevant options

• CEO John Fieldly said that retailers are allocating more shelf space to energy, which now represents 20% share of liquid refreshment beverage sales, up roughly 14% just five years ago.
• Shares of Celsius jumped 74% in 2025 on the back of its buyout of energy drink brand Alani Nu and Americans' interest in more health-friendly drinks.
• Last week, Celsius announced the appointment of Christy Jacoby and John Short to the board, nominated by PepsiCo.

Shares of Celsius Holdings Inc. jumped more than 8% in after-hours trading on Thursday, sparking investor and retail optimism following upbeat comments at the CAGNY conference, which highlighted increased shelf space for its products and rising demand for energy drinks.

The stock is heading for its second straight day of gains if momentum holds into trading hours on Friday, potentially marking its best session since August 2025. Celsius shares have declined nearly 4% so far this year, compared to the massive 74% jump in 2025 on the back of its buyout of energy drink brand Alani Nu and rising interest in more health-friendly drinks.

Celsius’ Growing Story

The company, during a presentation at the CAGNY conference on Thursday, said it has been positioning itself through an expanded assortment that gives retailers more choice and consumers more relevant options, from single-serve to multi-packs to dedicated coolers that anchor the energy set. “The broad assortment, strong execution, is delivering strong retail outcomes, where increased shelf space is more than 25%, increased cooler placements, and velocity is up 6%,” CEO John Fieldly said.

He added that retailers are allocating more shelf space to energy, which now represents 20% share of liquid refreshment beverage sales, up roughly 14% just five years ago, and “reinforcing modern energy as the function, as the future of the category.” 

“The Celsius portfolio has generated $5.2 billion in retail sales last year. It is a top-two growth portfolio in energy and a top-three energy portfolio overall. This shows us that Celsius is winning not in particular pockets, but winning at scale and across categories that matter,” Fieldly said. “I want to step back and talk about the category as itself. Energy has evolved from a narrow transactional category, driven by impulse purchases, to a lifestyle-driven one,” he added.

PepsiCo’s Backing For CELH

Last week, Celsius announced the appointment of Christy Jacoby and John Short to the board. Both were nominated by PepsiCo following the resignations of Israel Kontorovsky and Michael Del Pozzo from the Celsius board.

PepsiCo has a stake in Celsius and reserves the right to nominate two directors to the board. Jacoby currently serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of PepsiCo North America Operations, and Short is Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Franchise at PepsiCo.

“Celsius creates the strategy and provides PepsiCo with category and consumer insights, brand priorities, and executable playbooks that help define how our brands win,” COO Eric Hanson said at the conference.

He added that the partnership with PepsiCo allows the company to leverage the soda and snacks giant's scale while preserving the distinct role of each brand within its portfolio. “By integrating the entire portfolio into their direct store delivery system, we gain faster, broader access to shelf and cold space,” Hanson added.

What Is Retail Thinking About CELH?

Retail sentiment on Celsius jumped to ‘bullish’ from ‘bearish’ territory a day ago, with message volumes at ‘high’ levels, according to data from Stocktwits.

A bullish user on Stocktwits noted that PepsiCo could buy Celsius “sooner or later” as the energy drink maker continues to dominate market share growth.

In the last 24 hours, the retail message volumes on the stock jumped more than 224% on Stocktwits.

Another bullish user said the stock could be heading toward $100. The price implies nearly a 127% upside from the company’s closing price of $44.13.

Shares of Celsius have gained more than 35% in the last 12 months.

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