La Croix CEO Frustration Bubbles Over in Short Seller Blame Game

Photographer: Vivien Killilea/Getty Images
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A 23 percent slump in National Beverage Corp. shares from their Sept. 11 peak incited a tirade by its chief executive officer, Nick Caporella, in comments that are more often seen on Twitter than in a corporate press release.

Caporella, in a statementBloomberg Terminal laced with italicized and all-cap exclamations, blamed recent volatility on deliberate manipulation, saying "perpetrators" triggered the fall with falsehoods and rumors. The release titled "FIZZ Grows Stronger!!" joins a history of colorfully worded corporate statements from the La Croix maker, which have included such descriptors as “salubrious” and “naturally essenced,” when referring to its product.