Skip to navigationSkip to main contentSkip to right columnADVERTISEMENTPeace LongeSun, August 23, 2026 at 5:16 PM GMT+2 5 min readJim Cramer picked Coca-Cola (KO) over Celsius Holdings (CELH) on live television.During the August 20, 2026 Lightning Round on CNBC's Mad Money, a caller asked him about Celsius. He answered without hesitation, saying he'd rather own Coca-Cola and calling it the clear winner.The comment comes as Celsius stock is rallying. Shares are up about 16% over the past month, driven by an activist investor pushing to replace the company's leadership.For anyone holding Celsius or deciding whether to buy in, the gap between that rally and Cramer's pick is worth understanding before the next move.What Jim Cramer said about Celsius stock on Mad MoneyCramer did not soften the message. When the Celsius question came up, he told viewers, "We don't want Celsius here, we have Coca-Cola. KO is the winner," CNBC reported.That line is important because of who said it.More Beverage Stocks:Coca-Cola keeps beating its rivals, and Wall Street noticedCoca-Cola absorbs margin hit for expansion in key marketConvenience store giant takes on Coca-Cola and PepsiIn November 2023 he called Celsius a Buy on the same show. In May 2024 he picked it over Monster Beverage, telling viewers to own the company taking market share.His choice now points the other way, toward a slower, steadier, dividend-paying company.Why the weak Celsius earnings report changed the pictureThe turn follows a rough second-quarter report.Celsius posted second-quarter revenue of $817.9 million on August 6. That was up 10.6% from a year earlier, but it fell short of the roughly $886 million analysts expected, according to Investing.com.Adjusted earnings came in at $0.36 a share, below the $0.43 that Wall Street expected.The bigger worry sat inside the flagship brand. Sales of the core Celsius line fell about 11.7% from a year earlier, Celsius reported.Profit margins slipped too. Gross margin fell to 48.1% from 51.5% a year earlier, driven by heavier promotions and a shift in where sales came from.Jim Cramer told Mad Money viewers he prefers Coca-Cola over Celsius, ending years of on-air support for the energy drink maker.Bloomberg / Getty ImagesHow Coca-Cola became the safer beverage pick for CramerCramer's preference for Coca-Cola follows a strong quarter from the larger company.Coca-Cola posted adjusted earnings of 97 cents a share on July 28, ahead of the 93 cents expected, with revenue up 7% to $13.38 billion, CNBC reported.Coca-Cola also pays a dividend and has raised it for more than six decades. That combination of steady sales and reliable income is the kind of profile investors tend to favor when they feel cautious about the wider market.Cramer has said that current stock prices and business fundamentals have drifted apart in this market. Terms and Privacy PolicyEU DSA contactPrivacy & Cookie SettingsMore Info