GameStop stock has fallen 36% in a single day. This is the company's biggest loss since it was first listed on the stock market in 2002 and may very well spell the end of one of gaming's biggest brick and mortar retailers.
Bloomberg reports that GameStop stock has fallen precipitously and market analysts do not believe that the outlook is good. Analyst firm Jefferies writes that the company's retail model is "increasingly at odds" with the continuing shift towards digital purchases in the gaming industry. The analysis goes on to state that GameStop must dramatically change their business model if they are to survive as a corporation.
The drop is the most severe that the company has experienced in over a decade and has caused its stock price to fall to a level that hasn't been reached since early 2003. While GameStop stock surged to in excess of $60 at the end of 2007, it fell back down to the mid $20 range for several years after that. It rallied once again in the fourth quarter of 2013 to around $55 and once again to $45 at the end of 2015, but it's effectively been all downhill in the time since then.
Some market analysts are advising that it's worthwhile to hold onto the stock, but one analyst, in particular, has a rather dire prediction for GameStop Stock. “The only impactful transformation we see in GME’s future is the industry’s on-going transition to the digital economy," said Mike Hickey of Benchmark Co, "a viable scenario where [GameStop] has little value." He further described the valuation as "nuked", stating that the business is "[burning] to the ground".
Ongoing competition with digital sales as well as online retailers have been a problem for the retailer, but what appears to have triggered the fire sale of the stock was the decision to reduce dividend payouts to help the company have a greater war chest for new challenges.
Analyst hyperbole aside, GameStop's future as a business is certainly in peril. It's effectively valued at a lower price than when it had debuted on the stock market more than 15 years ago. Whether or not the company can recover remains to be seen.
What do you think of GameStop Stock crashing? Do you think the company will be able to recover? Let us know in the comments below!
