Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter reiterates an Underperform rating on GameStop (GME) with a $13.50 price target after the company last week disclosed that it purchased 4,710 bitcoin, "following the MicroStrategy (MSTR) playbook." However, Strategy currently trades 1.75-times its bitcoin holdings, while GameStop trades at 2.4-ttimes cash value, suggesting that investors value GameStop's entry into bitcoin at the same premium they assign to Strategy shares, but value GameStop's core operations at $8 per share, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm says that while it is likely GameStop will convert more of its cash into bitcoin, the disparity in valuation between company and Strategy "is baffling." Both companies provide bitcoin investors the ability to use margin to invest in crypto, but GameStop's holdings "are literally 1% as great as MSTR's," according to Wedbush. The firm believes GameStop's entry into the trading card business has delivered "modest success," but it sees no potential for a rebound in the company's core business.
