Cramer Backs Coca-Cola Over Celsius as CELH Rallies
Jim Cramer told Mad Money viewers he prefers Coca-Cola to a rallying Celsius, a call that pits a slow-growth dividend payer against the market's hottest energy drink name.
On Mad Money, host Jim Cramer said he would choose Coca-Cola (KO) over rival beverage maker Celsius Holdings (CELH) even as the energy drink stock rallies; Coca-Cola last closed at 91.10, up 0.66% on the day, on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026.
Jim Cramer used a live segment of CNBC’s Mad Money to do something that runs against the tape: he declined to endorse a beverage stock that is in the middle of a rally, and steered viewers toward Coca-Cola (KO) instead. The rival in question, according to TheStreet, is energy drink maker Celsius Holdings (CELH).
It is a familiar shape of call for Cramer. A viewer raises a name that has been working; the host acknowledges the move and then points at the larger, duller, dividend-paying incumbent in the same aisle. What makes this one worth pulling apart is that the two companies are not really competing for the same investor. One is a global syrup-and-distribution machine with a century of shelf space behind it. The other is a functional-beverage brand whose entire equity story rests on how fast it can keep taking share of the cooler.
Where Coca-Cola Actually Sits
Coca-Cola last traded at 91.10, up 0.66% on the session, in a day range of 90.32 to 91.20 against a prior close of 90.50, as of the market close on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (The market data feed for this listing did not specify a currency or exchange, so the figures are quoted as supplied.)
That is a quiet day, and a quiet day is the point of owning it. For context, the broad market advanced on the same session: the S&P 500 tracker (SPY) closed at $765.72, up 0.41%; the Nasdaq 100 tracker (QQQ) closed at $713.44, up 0.35%; and the Dow tracker (DIA) closed at $532.22, up 0.89%. Coca-Cola’s move landed between the two large-cap benchmarks and behind the Dow’s stronger day — the sort of positioning a mega-cap staple tends to occupy when index gains are broad rather than concentrated in high-beta growth.
Note also how narrow the trading band was. The stock spent the day inside a range whose high, 91.20, sat only marginally above the closing print. That is the trading signature of a name held for reasons other than momentum: income, portfolio ballast, and the belief that people buy soft drinks in every macro environment.
The Case Cramer Is Implicitly Making Against Celsius
Cramer did not, per the report, deliver a full teardown of Celsius. He simply preferred Coca-Cola. But the logic behind that kind of preference is well worn, and investors weighing the same choice should understand it.
Energy drink challengers are share-of-shelf stories. Their growth depends on distribution agreements, retail placement, and continued brand heat among younger consumers — all of which are contestable. The category has repeatedly produced stocks that compound violently on the way up and then de-rate just as violently when a single quarter of shipment data disappoints or when a distribution partner adjusts inventory. Nothing about a rally in progress tells you which phase you are in.
Coca-Cola’s risks are different in kind. It faces sugar taxes, currency translation on a heavily international revenue base, slow volume growth in developed markets, and the constant need to buy its way into faster-growing categories. What it does not typically face is the risk that its distribution disappears in a quarter.
A television host declining to back a rallying stock is not the same as calling a top. It is a statement about which risk the speaker is willing to underwrite.
What a Preference Like This Costs You
A television host declining to back a rallying stock is not the same as calling a top.
The uncomfortable part of the trade-off is that choosing the incumbent has a real price when the challenger is working. If Celsius is rallying and Coca-Cola is inching up two-thirds of a percent on a broadly green day, the opportunity cost of caution is visible in real time. Investors who took the same view in prior energy-drink cycles have watched challengers run for extended stretches before any reckoning arrived — and some never had one.
The counterweight is what Coca-Cola pays you to wait. A staples mega-cap with an established dividend gives holders a return that does not depend on next quarter’s shipment growth. That matters more in portfolios where the equity sleeve is already carrying substantial exposure to high-multiple growth through index funds — and with the Nasdaq 100 tracker closing at $713.44 near the top of its recent range, plenty of portfolios are.
What to Watch From Here
Three things determine whether this call ages well.
- Celsius volume and distribution data. The rally has to be validated by sell-through, not just by shelf placement and inventory build at partners. Any divergence between shipments and consumption is the classic early warning in this category.
- Coca-Cola’s pricing versus volume mix. Staples companies have leaned on price to carry revenue growth. When price contribution fades and volumes have not recovered, the multiple gets tested.
- Rotation behavior in the broad indices. Coca-Cola outperforming or lagging is largely a function of whether money is moving into defensives. The Dow tracker’s 0.89% gain on Friday outpaced both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 trackers, which is at least consistent with buying in older-economy names — one session is not a trend, but it is the kind of session in which a Coca-Cola recommendation sounds better than it did a month earlier.
Reading Television Calls Correctly
Segments like this one compress a portfolio decision into a few seconds of airtime, and they get treated as buy and sell signals when they are closer to risk-tolerance statements. Cramer’s preference for Coca-Cola over a rallying rival tells you what kind of drawdown he is willing to accept, not what either stock will do next quarter.
For anyone actually deciding between the two, the honest framing is this: Coca-Cola is what you own if you want the beverage aisle without the volatility, and Celsius is what you own if you believe the share gains have further to run. The market data available as of Friday’s close describes the first proposition precisely — a 0.66% day, a narrow range, a stock behaving like ballast. The second proposition remains a judgment about growth that no single closing price can settle.
Key facts
- Coca-Cola (KO) last close: 91.10, +0.66%, as of 20:00 GMT Fri, Aug 21, 2026
- KO day range: 90.32 to 91.20; prior close 90.50
- The call: Mad Money host Jim Cramer picked Coca-Cola over Celsius Holdings (CELH) on live television
- Benchmarks same session: SPY $765.72 (+0.41%), QQQ $713.44 (+0.35%), DIA $532.22 (+0.89%)
Frequently asked questions
What exactly did Jim Cramer say about Coca-Cola and Celsius?
During a live segment of CNBC’s Mad Money, host Jim Cramer expressed a preference for Coca-Cola over rival beverage maker Celsius Holdings when the two were compared. He withheld support for the rallying energy drink stock and steered the discussion toward Coca-Cola instead. The report did not include a detailed teardown of Celsius or a price target for either name.
Where did Coca-Cola stock last close?
Coca-Cola last traded at 91.10, a gain of 0.66% on the session, with a day range of 90.32 to 91.20 against a prior close of 90.50. Those figures are as of the market close at 20:00 GMT on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. The market data feed supplied for this listing did not specify a currency symbol or exchange.
How did Coca-Cola perform against the broad market that day?
Coca-Cola’s 0.66% gain sat above the S&P 500 tracker SPY, which closed at $765.72 up 0.41%, and above the Nasdaq 100 tracker QQQ at $713.44 up 0.35%. It lagged the Dow tracker DIA, which closed at $532.22 up 0.89% — a session in which older-economy names carried the stronger move.
Why would an investor prefer Coca-Cola to a faster-growing beverage stock?
Coca-Cola offers established global distribution, a long-standing dividend and demand that is relatively insensitive to the economic cycle. Challenger energy drink brands depend on continued share gains, retail shelf placement and distribution agreements, all of which can change quickly. The trade-off is lower expected growth in exchange for a narrower range of outcomes.
Does a Mad Money mention move a stock?
Television segments can produce short-term volume and price reactions, particularly in smaller or heavily traded retail names, but the effect typically fades. A host’s stated preference is a statement about acceptable risk rather than a forecast. Investors should treat such calls as one input alongside company fundamentals, valuation and their own time horizon.
What should investors watch next in this comparison?
Three things matter: whether Celsius sell-through data validates the rally rather than just shipment or inventory build; whether Coca-Cola can grow volumes as pricing contribution fades; and whether markets keep rotating toward defensive, dividend-paying staples. Each of those, rather than a single trading session, will determine which of the two positions performs better.
Sources
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