Shares of GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) remain "very detached from fundamentals" and the latest data from NPD isn't offering any support for the stock.
The GameStop Analyst: Curtis Nagle maintains an Underperform rating on GameStop's stock with a $10 price target.
The GameStop Thesis: Data from NPD shows that the total number of physical game units sold for new PlayStation and Xbox consoles are "very underwhelming," Nagle wrote in a note. In fact, for every PS5 and Xbox Series X/S console sold since their launch, only 0.64 physical games were sold in February.
While part of the underperformance could be attributed to the lack of any new major game release in February, Nagle said part of the poor physical game sales could be attributed to rising digital penetration. Video game maker Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) acknowledged this reality in its conference call when it said digital accounted for 62% of sales.
Related Link: Rod Alzmann Breaks Down The 'Chewy-fication' Of GameStop
Meanwhile, GameStop's surge is in part attributed to rising expectations for GameStop to adopt a digital business model led by Ryan Cohen. How GameStop can find relevance in the online video game market is somewhat unclear.
"While Cohen no doubt brings much-needed expertise to GMEs go-forward strategy, we still do not see how it addresses the issue of GME's software businesses migrating to online networks where GME plays an extremely limited role as an intermediary," the analyst wrote.
GME Price Action: Shares of GameStop were trading higher by nearly 10% at $280.73.
Latest Ratings for GME
| Date | Firm | Action | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2021 | B of A Securities | Maintains | Underperform | |
| Jan 2021 | Telsey Advisory Group | Downgrades | Outperform | Underperform |
| Oct 2020 | Jefferies | Downgrades | Buy | Hold |