Stock Market Today, Aug. 6: Celsius Whiffs on Q2 Earnings, Shares Tumble 18%

Celsius Holdings (NASDAQ:CELH), a functional energy beverage and liquid nutritional supplements provider, closed at $23.77, down 18.46%. The stock fell after second-quarter revenue missed estimates, and investors are watching margins and guidance next. Trading volume reached 43.2M shares, coming in about 324% above its three-month average of 10.2M shares. Celsius Holdings IPO'd in 2007 and has grown 78% since going public.

How the markets moved today

The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) slipped 0.16% to 7,711, and the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) edged 0.06% lower to 26,348. Among beverage manufacturers focused on functional and energy drinks, Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) fell 0.32% to $94.16, while PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) declined 0.24% to $138.44.

What this means for investors

Celsius delivered sales of $818 million and adjusted EPS of $0.36, missing analysts’ estimates by $52 million and $0.06, respectively, prompting the stock to nosedive today. Making matters worse, the core Celsius brand saw its sales decline by 12%, sparking concerns over the energy drink’s long-term brand power. Overall sales for the company rose 11%, powered by the recently acquired Alani Nu, whose retail sales soared 56% in the quarter.

On top of this slowing growth, Celsius’s gross profit margin declined 3.4 percentage points, and adjusted EPS slid 23%. There are still many moving parts due to the company’s acquisitions of Alani Nu and Rockstar, but I’d argue today’s market reaction was justified. That said, Celsius trades at roughly 20 times forward earnings and remains the clear No. 3 energy drink company, so I’m not writing it off as dead. Celsius is still a core position for me, but I’ll probably wait for more positive results and new information before adding.

Josh Kohn-Lindquist has positions in Celsius Holdings. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Monster Beverage. The Motley Fool recommends Celsius Holdings. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.