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Hyunsoo Rim2/21/25

Celsius soars after announcing plan to buy Gen Z-focused competitor, shrugging off Q4 sales dip

Celsius Holdings, the energy drink brand beloved by celebrities and fitness influencers, is spiking in early trading after disclosing a $1.65 billion deal (net of tax assets) to acquire rival beverage maker Alani Nu.

Yesterday’s acquisition announcement came almost simultaneously with the company’s Q4 earnings, which revealed sales were down 4% year on year, better than analysts were forecasting, per Barron’s.

Since its Nasdaq debut in 2010, Celsius’ stock has been on a wild ride.

It was delisted from the Nasdaq at the end of that year, and while it returned in 2017, shares remained below $2 — until the company signed major distribution deals with beverage giants like AB InBev, Keurig Dr Pepper, and PepsiCo as consumers came around to its “healthier energy drink” marketing message. Since 2020, its revenues have grown more than tenfold, sending shares to an all-time high of ~$100 in March.

But, since peaking in May 2024, shares have plunged ~73%, wiping out over $16 billion in market cap as PepsiCo — Celsius’ primary US distributor — cut back orders to adjust inventory levels, triggering a 31% year-over-year revenue drop in Q3.

Acquiring the seven-year-old Alani Nu, which is popular among Gen Z and millennial women, might be the shot in the arm Celsius needs: in January, Alani Nu saw retail sales jump 78% from the previous year, according to Circana. Celsius expects the combination to drive the company’s revenue toward ~$2 billion (up from the $1.4 billion it pulled in alone in 2024), and boost its energy drink market share from 11% to 16%. Currently, Celsius holds the third spot in the $23 billion US energy drink market, trailing Red Bull and Monster.

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Retail traders are dumping Bloom Energy after near 300% rally, says JPMorgan

Retail traders are swarming for the exits in fuel cell company Bloom Energy, causing what was once a near 300% rally year-to-date to sour.

JPMorgan strategists led by Arun Jain flagged that Bloom’s net imbalance – the balance of buying versus selling among retail traders – was exceptionally negative as of 11 a.m. ET, even worse than during its double-digit drop on Wednesday.

JPM retail BE

The fuel cell company, which counts Oracle among its customers, eclipsed a market cap in excess of $20 billion earlier this week despite generating less than $2 billion in sales over the past year.

Wall Street began to sound some alarm bells about the extent of Bloom’s run this week, with Jefferies downgrading the stock to underperform from hold on Wednesday while Bank of America analysts wrote, “We are still not buying into BE's AI hype.”

Italian Hemp Growers Struggle With Anti-drug Laws

Investors are growing bullish on weed stocks. But why?

We spoke to ATB Capital Markets analyst Frederico Gomes about why institutional investors are growing bullish on cannabis.

J. Edward Moreno3h

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Matt Phillips3h

Duolingo rises as executives talk up China opportunity

Duolingo posted a solid gain Thursday, the latest in a series of relatively light-on-news moves in the stock this month as it has regained some attention among options-trading retail investors.

There was a story in China’s official China Daily where executives laid out their plans for the language-learning app’s push into the People’s Republic, which has been a focus of Wall Street analysts on recent post-earnings conference calls.

China, where the company began doing business in 2018, is Duolingo’s fastest-growing market for its language-learning app. It’s also the largest source of test takers for its Duolingo English Test proficiency exam business, a recent focus for management spotlighted in its recent Duocon product announcements.

It’s hard to say if the China Daily story is the reason for today’s upswing in the stock, but given the necessities of working within a country controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, a relatively favorable story appearing in its international propaganda organ suggests a relatively healthy working relationship is developing there.

Duolingo to expand local team, products

Duolingo to expand local team, products

China, where the company began doing business in 2018, is Duolingo’s fastest-growing market for its language-learning app. It’s also the largest source of test takers for its Duolingo English Test proficiency exam business, a recent focus for management spotlighted in its recent Duocon product announcements.

It’s hard to say if the China Daily story is the reason for today’s upswing in the stock, but given the necessities of working within a country controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, a relatively favorable story appearing in its international propaganda organ suggests a relatively healthy working relationship is developing there.

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Matt Phillips6h

Oklo dives after insider sale

Oklo dove Thursday after an SEC filing showed company director Michael Klein sold some $6.7 million in stock in transactions that, importantly, were not part of a pre-set insider sales plan.

Wall Street analysts forecast that the nuclear power startup will make losses for years to come. But the company’s ties to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who served as Oklo’s chairman until April, have helped make the stock a favorite of retail traders and a popular momentum play.

Even after today’s stumble, it’s up more than 400% this year and nearly 1,300% over the past 12 months.

Quantum stocks sputter after nearly doubling thanks to the US government calling the technology an R&D priority

The happiest words for an emergent technology: “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”

Scholz Inaugurates Europe's First IBM Quantum Data Center

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