Shares of GameStop Look Expensive Even with Strong Guidance

Retailer GameStop (click ticker for report: ) posted a steep decline in second quarter results that was overshadowed by a positive outlook for the back half of the year. Revenue fell 10.7% year-over-year to $10.4 billion, which was a bit better than consensus expectations. Earnings per share dropped 44% year-over-year to $0.09, which was also better than consensus estimates. Sales have been weak… Image Source: Valuentum, Company Filings Shares of GameStop are up 177% over the past year—a phenomenal increase given the steep same-store sales declines recently (shown above). Weakness didn’t moderate much in the second quarter, with same-store sales dropping 10.7% year-over-year. Of course, the rally in GameStop’s share price has little to do with what happened in fiscal … Read more

Ballmer to Leave Microsoft; Market Cheers

Early Friday morning, Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio holding Microsoft’s (click ticker for report: ) long-time CEO Steve Ballmer announced that he’ll be retiring within the next year. Despite solid revenue and earnings growth throughout his tenure, investors have called for his job for years as rival Apple (click ticker for report: ) stole the spotlight in the tech world. The Bad While the late Steve Jobs will be known for his hits, Ballmer will be best known for his misses. After Apple dropped the iPod, Microsoft came to market with the Zune after the war was long over. Apple then released the iPhone, and Microsoft wasn’t ever able to fund a credible competitor in the United States, but it did … Read more

Best Buy’s Comps Are Soft; Risk/Reward Not Compelling

After shares nearly flirted with $10 in December, electronics retailer Best Buy (click ticker for report: ) has seen its stock more than double thanks to moderating sales declines and a store revamping strategy that displayed great promise. However, Best Buy’s first quarter fell short of consensus expectations as the Street got a bit ahead of itself in gauging the velocity of the turnaround. Revenue declined 10% year-over-year to $9.3 billion, which was well below consensus estimates. Adjusted earnings per share fell 58% compared to the prior year to $0.32 per share, which was a touch better than consensus expectations. Free cash flow swung to negative $179 million for the quarter, reflecting the firm’s inability to earn net income more … Read more

Why GameStop Looks Like a Value Trap

At Valuentum, we pride ourselves on a multi-faceted investment methodology, acknowledging that several market-movers view any given investment from different perspectives. That is precisely why we’re staying away from shares of GameStop (click ticker for report: ), which scores poorly on the Valuentum Buying Index (our stock-selection methodology). Let’s take a look at why we don’t like the company. Changing Dynamics of Gaming Culture One of the unique features of the video game market has been the relatively liquid buying and selling of games. Since the days of FuncoLand (which was eventually acquired by GameStop), consumers could purchase and sell games new or used, and the game shops would help facilitate this market. Have a copy of Nintendo’s Super Mario that … Read more

2 Recent IPOs: Surveying SurveyMonkey and Sounding the Alarm on Sonos

Valuentum has an expansive stock research coverage universe. We don’t cover every company on the market, however. We include three new ideas outside of our coverage universe each month in the Exclusive publication—an income idea, a capital appreciation idea, and a short-idea consideration. In this article, let’s cover two companies that aren’t in our coverage universe but should be on your radar. Both are recent IPOs. By Brian Nelson, CFA SurveyMonkey’s Shares Are Fairly Valued SurveyMonkey (SVMK) has been around since the turn of the century, but it has only been a public entity since September 2018. Many members may have already heard of SurveyMonkey. The company has made it easier to engage with customers to get their feedback, and … Read more

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