Celsius Holdings (CELH) Stock Surges 8% After CAGNY 2026 Presentation

TLDR

• Celsius Holdings (CELH) stock jumped over 8% in after-hours trading after an upbeat presentation at the CAGNY 2026 conference.
• The company reported $5.2 billion in portfolio retail sales last year and holds a 20% share of the U.S. energy drink market.
• Shelf space allocations are expected to grow by over 17%, with Alani Nu targeting a 100% increase in convenience stores.
• PepsiCo nominated two new board members, reinforcing the strength of their distribution partnership.
• CELH had already surged 74% in 2025 following its acquisition of Alani Nu, though it is down about 4% year-to-date in 2026.

Celsius Holdings jumped more than 8% in after-hours trading on Thursday after the company presented at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) 2026 conference. Investors responded well to comments about shelf space growth and rising demand for energy drinks.

Celsius Holdings, Inc., CELH

If the momentum carries into Friday’s session, it would mark the stock’s best day since August 2025. That would also be back-to-back gains for CELH, which is still down about 4% so far in 2026.

That pullback comes after a strong 2025, when the stock surged 74%. The jump was fueled by the acquisition of Alani Nu and growing consumer interest in health-focused beverages.

At the conference, CEO John Fieldly painted a confident picture of where the business stands. He said the Celsius portfolio generated $5.2 billion in retail sales last year, making it a top-three energy portfolio overall.

“Celsius is winning not in particular pockets, but winning at scale and across categories that matter,” Fieldly said.

Energy drinks now represent 20% of liquid refreshment beverage sales in the U.S., up from roughly 14% five years ago. That growth is part of what is driving retailers to hand over more shelf space to the category.

Celsius said shelf space across its retail footprint has already grown by more than 25%. The company expects distribution and space gains to increase by over 17% going forward.

Alani Nu, the brand Celsius acquired in 2025, is expected to see shelf space double, with a 100% increase targeted especially in convenience stores. That channel accounts for 60% of all energy drink sales.

PepsiCo Partnership Driving Execution

COO Eric Hanson emphasized the role PepsiCo plays in getting products to shelves quickly and efficiently. By plugging the full Celsius portfolio into PepsiCo’s direct store delivery system, the company says it gains faster access to shelf and cold space.

“Celsius creates the strategy and provides PepsiCo with category and consumer insights, brand priorities, and executable playbooks,” Hanson said.

The partnership also got a structural update last week. Celsius announced two new board members, Christy Jacoby and John Short, both nominated by PepsiCo. Jacoby is CFO of PepsiCo North America Operations, and Short is SVP of Strategic Partnerships at PepsiCo.

Velocity across the portfolio is up 6%, and Celsius now sells through more than 250,000 retail outlets. The company says it contributed to 33% of category growth.

Consumer Trends Backing the Brand

Repeat buyers are sticking around. Celsius says 52% of repeat consumers purchase its products five times or more.

Female consumers are increasingly driving category growth, while male consumers remain a key part of the base. About 32% of consumers are drinking energy drinks across more occasions than before.

Celsius also noted that 37% of consumers drink its products with meals, and 33% consume them in social settings, pointing to a shift away from pure performance use.

The stock reached 99.5% all-commodity volume coverage through PepsiCo’s distribution network, a key operational milestone for the company.