GoPro Inc (NASDAQ:GPRO) is making a huge move Monday afternoon, surging by 12% as of this writing. But the bull move seemingly came out of thin air, stumping many in financial media:
Why is $GRPO up 11% today? Did Nintendo announce it was buying it and renaming its new mobile craze Pokemon GoPro? #sarcasm
— Paul R. La Monica (@LaMonicaBuzz) July 11, 2016
Assuming this $GPRO move is somehow pokemon related? wow there really is a lack of real momentum stocks in 2016…
— Steven Spencer (@sspencer_smb) July 11, 2016
Curiously enough, the success of Pokemon Go from Nintendo Co., Ltd (ADR) (OTCMKTS:NTDOY), which sent NTDOY stock up 35% today, could have investors salivating at the augmented/virtual reality potential of GPRO going forward.
GoPro began making headway in the VR space when it bought Kolor in early 2015 and launched GoPro VR earlier this year. Of course, neither have moved the needle materially and consistently for GPRO stock holders, who have ridden the roller coaster lower since August 2015.
But on Thursday, GoPro welcomed former NBCUniversal executive Lauren Zalaznick to its board of directors, lending credence to GoPro’s intent to transform itself into a full-fledged media company and whip its VR/AR channel efforts into shape. Since leaving NBC, Zalaznick presided over the Bravo cable channel and is an adviser for Greycroft Partners, Refinery29 and Venture For America.
“We are excited to have such a distinguished media and business leader as Lauren join GoPro’s board of directors,” GoPro founder Nick Woodman said. “Her broad experience and perspective will influence GoPro’s evolution as an entertainment company and will benefit our business strategy overall.”
What’s more, it appears a rumor resurfaced over the weekend suggesting GoPro’s first-ever drone, Karma, will hit shelves bundled along with the GoPro Hero 5 (rumored to support VR) before 2016 is out. That seems to jibe with an earlier interview given by GoPro CEO Nick Woodman suggesting the release of the Hero 5, a drone and a “spherical camera made for general consumers” by the end of the year.
It’s not a stretch to see how the Pokemon Go home run for augmented reality combined with an award-winning media hire and rumored holiday VR/drone bundle could prop up a beleaguered GPRO stock, now surging north of $12 for the first time since early May. The stock has been fighting with its 50-day moving average for weeks, but it’s finally making a convincing move above.
Just keep an eye on reality and the horizon: GoPro has to get past its earnings report next week, and the company is expected to swing from a 35-cent profit to a 58-cent loss.
Today’s move reflects a lot of potential, but at some point, GPRO will have to start putting up actual numbers.
As of this writing, John Kilhefner did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
