GameStop Sinks as Meme Stock Trader Roaring Kitty Goes Quiet

Shares of GameStop (GME) are hovering around the $24.50 mark on Thursday, down less than 1% on the day amid a broader market downturn for the stock, which has shed roughly 8% of its value over the past week.

The recent lull in GME’s price coincides with a noticeable absence from a key figure in the 2021 “meme stock” frenzy: Keith Gill, better known online as Roaring Kitty and DeepFuckingValue. 

Gill, whose passionate social media advocacy for GME fueled a historic short squeeze, has been uncharacteristically quiet lately after helping to drive up the price in recent weeks. Last week, Gill disclosed that he had upped his GME position to approximately 9 million shares, or approximately $223 million worth at today’s price.

There have been no holdings disclosures from him over the past week, and his typically active Twitter account has seen little activity. This silence has contributed to uncertainty among retail investors who closely follow his moves and sentiments regarding GameStop.

The decline in GameStop’s stock price can also be attributed to the lack of substantial updates from the company itself. 

Earlier this week, GameStop’s highly anticipated annual shareholder meeting failed to provide any new strategic insights. GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen reiterated plans to cut costs and boost profits but offered few specifics about future growth strategies. 

The meeting, which lasted about 30 minutes, did not allow shareholders to ask questions, leading to further dissatisfaction and speculation among investors.

“Revenues without profits and prospects of future cash flows are of no value to shareholders,” Cohen stated during the meeting. 

He emphasized the importance of a strong balance sheet, especially in times of economic uncertainty, but did not provide concrete plans for addressing the company’s ongoing challenges. As of May 4, GameStop had about $1 billion in cash and cash equivalents on its balance sheet.

GameStop’s struggle to transition from a traditional brick-and-mortar video game retailer to a more digital-focused company remains a significant challenge. The company has been banking on Cohen to lead this transformation, but tangible results have yet to be seen.

The recent shareholder meeting, initially disrupted by technical issues and delayed from last week, left investors with more questions than answers. The stock experienced a notable drop, closing down 12.1% on the day of the meeting. 

Despite a slight recovery, GameStop’s stock is still significantly down from its highs earlier this year, when GME touched a price of nearly $65 per data from Google Finance.

Edited by Andrew Hayward