GameStop (NYSE:GME) Stock Price Up 4.1% – What’s Next?

GameStop Corp. (NYSE:GME)’s stock price traded up 4.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $23.81 and last traded at $23.7410. 1,157,466 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 8,404,410 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.81.

GameStop News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting GameStop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Ryan Cohen told CNBC he is targeting a “very, very, very big” consumer acquisition that he says could materially increase GameStop’s value — a direct catalyst for the rally as it signals transformational M&A intent. GameStop’s Ryan Cohen eyes ‘very big’ consumer megadeal
• Positive Sentiment: Markets reacted intraday to reports of an ambitious, potentially billion-dollar acquisition plan — volume and short-term buying pushed the stock up as traders priced in deal-driven upside. GameStop Climbs 4.8% on Ambitious Billion-Dollar Acquisition
• Neutral Sentiment: WSJ-sourced and aggregated reports suggest Cohen is exploring a major public-company purchase; details, financing plans and target names remain speculative — important for sentiment but not yet concrete. GameStop CEO eyeing major acquisition of publicly traded company – WSJ
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and commentary (including a Seeking Alpha piece surveying possible targets) highlight M&A speculation and scenarios — useful for idea generation but inherently uncertain until a deal is announced. The GameStop M&A guessing game: Who will be the target?
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles explaining why GME could be one to watch this year summarize the strategic playbook — asset base, cash and crypto holdings — but note execution and valuation risks remain. Why GameStop might be a stock to watch this year
• Negative Sentiment: Investor Michael Burry has added to a GME position, but sell-side analysts remain largely on the sidelines — low institutional coverage increases volatility risk and can limit conviction among long-term investors. As Michael Burry Buys Up GameStop, Wall Street Analysts Are Still Staying Far Away on the Sidelines
• Negative Sentiment: Media pieces flag concerns about an outsized CEO payday and governance implications if a transformational deal is tied to extreme upside targets — a potential overhang for some investors worried about dilution or risky dealmaking. The GameStop CEO Has an Audacious Plan to Clinch His $35 Billion Payday

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of GameStop from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Sell” and a consensus price target of $13.50.

GameStop Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 10.39 and a quick ratio of 9.77. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $21.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.84. The stock has a market cap of $10.71 billion, a PE ratio of 29.15 and a beta of -1.23.

GameStop (NYSE:GME) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.04. GameStop had a net margin of 11.08% and a return on equity of 9.75%. The business had revenue of $821.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $987.29 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.06 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that GameStop Corp. will post 0.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at GameStop

In other news, Director Alain Attal purchased 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $20.90 per share, for a total transaction of $250,800.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 596,464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,466,097.60. The trade was a 2.05% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ryan Cohen acquired 500,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $21.12 per share, with a total value of $10,560,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 37,847,842 shares in the company, valued at $799,346,423.04. This represents a 1.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have bought 517,000 shares of company stock worth $10,925,150 and have sold 23,152 shares worth $480,059. Insiders own 8.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GameStop

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GME. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in GameStop by 28.3% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,025,993 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,024,000 after acquiring an additional 226,234 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in GameStop by 347.7% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 6,657,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $162,381,000 after buying an additional 5,170,741 shares during the period. AGF Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of GameStop during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,119,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of GameStop during the 2nd quarter worth about $350,000. Finally, Clear Street LLC acquired a new stake in shares of GameStop in the second quarter worth approximately $57,433,000. 29.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

GameStop Company Profile

GameStop Corp. (NYSE:GME) is a global specialty retailer focused on video games, gaming consoles, consumer electronics and related accessories. The company operates a network of physical retail stores alongside an e-commerce platform, offering new and pre-owned products spanning the latest game software, hardware, collectibles and lifestyle merchandise. GameStop’s retail footprint is complemented by digital marketplaces for trade-ins and online purchases, as well as a membership program that provides exclusive content and rewards.

Originally founded in 1984 as Babbage’s in Dallas, Texas, the company adopted the GameStop name in 1999 following its merger with Software Etc.