This column was originally published on RealMoney on April 13 at 9:35 a.m. EDT. It's being republished as a bonus for TheStreet.com readers. For more information about subscribing to RealMoney, please click here.
Jones Soda(JSDA Quote) won't quit. Why should it? One of the big knocks against the company is that carbonation, as a category, is awful and no company in the category can buck it. But this week we have analysts talking about how carbonated beverages could be getting some life. If that's the case, you could have Jones going up off the category growth or from the possibility that the larger soda companies want to bulk up and add more product lines (don't forget private equity and Cott are talking about buying Cadbury's(CSG Quote) beverages. This group is hot.) All of this works because Jones has just gone with the business model -- sell the syrup nationally in unusual venues rather than bottle for Target(TGT Quote) only -- and the margins could explode. This is a stock that will remain in the news positively until it becomes a billion-dollar company too big to acquire. That's not for another $350 million. On a $650 million basis, that's not bad. Jones has, like Hansen(HANS Quote), gone beyond fad, but so few want to jump off here. Don't make the mistake that so often is made with many stocks that are in breakout status: The big move is still happening.



