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Celsius Rises as Market Share Gains Propel Earnings Higher

Celsius energy drinks at a store in Crockett, California, US. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- Celsius Holdings Inc. shares rose after the energy-drink maker posted a higher-than-expected profit, taking market share from rivals like Red Bull GmbH and Monster Beverage Corp. and alleviating fears of a slowdown. 

Second-quarter earnings per share were 28 cents, above the average analyst estimate of 24 cents. Revenue rose 23% from the same quarter last year to $402 million, also higher than an expected $390 million.

Shares rose as much as 7.29% in New York, the most since July 1. They were down 24% this year as of Monday’s close as investors worried about slowing growth.

The Boca Raton, Florida-based company now has 11.5% control of the energy drink market, up from 8.7% a year ago, based on market share data from consumer data company Circana cited by Celsius Tuesday. Rivals Red Bull and Monster saw their share fall over the same period, with Monster down 1.6 percentage points and Red Bull 0.5, according to the Circana data.

Celsius had seen its popularity grow, especially in the past three years, thanks to marketing that positions itself as healthier than competitors. Revenue more than doubled yearly from 2020 to 2023, but growth is expected to slow this year to about 24%. 

The drinkmaker plans to launch promotions later this year after losing market share in July when Monster and Red Bull lowered prices, Celsius executives said on its earnings call Tuesday.

“Our pricing promotional strategy and architecture is really key as we go forward,” Celsius Chief Financial Officer Jarrod Langhans said.

After entering Canada, the UK, and Ireland earlier this year, Canada sales “continued to exceed” initial expectations in the second quarter. It reiterated its plans to expand into Australia, New Zealand, and France later this year, though widened the expansion date from the fourth quarter to some time in the second half of the year. 

(Updates share price and adds information about promotions.)

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