CELH vs HLI: How Celsius Holdings and Houlihan Lokey Compare (2026)

Same yardstick, side by side (as of July 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. CELH and HLI share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined CELH and HLI exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

Celsius Holdings is a Boca Raton, Florida consumer packaged goods company that makes functional energy drinks marketed around fitness, metabolism, and zero-sugar formulations. Its flagship CELSIUS brand is sold through grocery, club, convenience, and fitness channels, and the company makes money by selling cases of ready-to-drink beverages, increasingly through PepsiCo's distribution network. In Q1 2026 the broader portfolio reached roughly a 20.9% dollar share of the U.S. ready-to-drink energy category, placing it behind Monster and Red Bull but well ahead of most other challengers.

Full CELH guide

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE: HLI) is an independent, advisory-focused investment bank founded in 1972 and headquartered in Los Angeles. It advises corporations, private equity sponsors, and governments across three segments: Corporate Finance (M&A and capital-raising, the largest slice at roughly two-thirds of revenue), Financial Restructuring (out-of-court workouts and bankruptcy advisory, where it is a global market leader by deal volume), and Financial and Valuation Advisory (fairness opinions, portfolio valuation, and financial consulting). Unlike bulge-bracket banks, Houlihan Lokey does not trade for its own account or make large loans, so its revenue is almost entirely advisory fees.

Full HLI guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• CELH drivers: Multi-brand portfolio and category leadership; PepsiCo distribution and the category-captain role.
• HLI drivers: Restructuring ballast; M&A and capital-markets recovery.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: Organic growth of the flagship CELSIUS brand decelerated to roughly 6% year over year in Q1 2026, so most of the headline 138% revenue increase reflects acquired brands rather than core momentum. For HLI, advisory revenue is inherently lumpy and tied to deal completions, so a prolonged M&A slowdown or credit freeze can pressure results even with the restructuring hedge.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick CELH if you believe its drivers more; HLI if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the CELH and HLI guides.

CELH. Reported figures are drawn from Celsius Holdings' Q1 2026 results and recent market data as of the asOf date. The roughly 138% revenue jump is heavily influenced by the Alani Nu and Rockstar acquisitions rather than organic CELSIUS growth, which rose about 6%. The shares traded near $30 with a market cap around $7.2 billion after a decline from prior highs, leaving a forward P/E in the high teens, modestly above the U.S. beverage industry average.

HLI. At roughly $137 per share in mid-July 2026, HLI trades near a market cap of about $11.4 billion, with a trailing P/E around 22x that sits below its multi-year median. The dividend was raised about 17 percent to $0.70 per quarter (roughly $2.80 annualized). The 52-week range has been wide (roughly $131 to $212), reflecting the market's shifting expectations for deal activity.

Headline figures (approximate, 2026-06-27): CELH shows revenue (q1 2026) ~$782.6 million, revenue growth (yoy, q1 2026) ~138%, fy2025 revenue ~$2.5 billion (up ~86%), gross margin (q1 2026) ~48.3% (down ~400 bps); HLI shows revenue (fy2026, ended mar 2026) ~$2.62B, net income (fy2026) ~$426M, diluted eps (fy2026) ~$6.22, adjusted eps (fy2026) ~$7.56.

CELH and HLI are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined CELH and HLI exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.