Experienced investors should review their portfolios for meme stocks to sell. January’s market rebound brought back buying in outdated meme stocks, but it’s time to get out while you can.
When the Federal Reserve limited the economic damage of the 2020-2021 pandemic, it eased lending. Inexperienced investors could not tell that the Federal Funds rate in the range of 0% to 0.25% fueled almost any stock. Companies that lost more money as they grew are examples of stocks that soared at the time. Some are also examples of meme stocks to sell now.
In Dec. 2022, the consumer price index eased to 6.5% over the preceding 12 months. This slowed the Fed’s pace of rate hikes to 25 basis points in its last meeting. Still, the Central Bank did not give any indication that the hiking cycle is nearing an end.
Stock markets started 2023 in a rebound mood. However, the tight monetary conditions will weigh negatively on speculative stocks. These meme stocks to sell will soon lose their momentum once again.
| AMC | AMC Entertainment | $5.70 |
| BBBY | Bed Bath & Beyond | $2.67 |
| CVNA | Carvana | $14.19 |
| GME | GameStop | $21.13 |
| PTON | Peloton Interactive | $15.69 |
| HOOD | Robinhood Markets | $10.48 |
| SI | Silvergate Capital | $17.53 |
AMC Entertainment (AMC)
AMC Entertainment (NYSE:AMC) issued APE preferred equity units to common stockholders on Aug. 22, 2022. Its conversion will raise $110 million for AMC. AMC set March 14 for a shareholder vote for the conversion.
AMC meme traders originally wanted to short-squeeze hedge funds. At first, meme traders beat them. In the last two years, however, hedge funds found ways to profit from them.
When Antara Capital became a major shareholder of APE units, APE and AMC’s valuation rise benefited this hedge fund the most. In effect, meme traders are enriching hedge funds.
AMC is in survival mode, which makes it among the prime meme stocks to sell. It will continue to operate at losses as long as individual investors invest in this losing business. In the third quarter of 2022, AMC posted an adjusted EBITDA loss of $12.9 million. This is up from a $5.4 million loss in Q3/2021.
Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY)
Bed Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ:BBBY) investors pinned their hopes on Ryan Cohen singlehandedly turning the company around. In Aug. 2022, Cohen’s RC Ventures dumped the stock at prices between $18.68 and $29.22 a share. More recently, BBBY stock traded above $5 before resuming its downtrend.
Bears accumulated a short float of 45.82%, another sign that this is one of the meme stocks to sell. Reuters reported that the firm is preparing for bankruptcy. This process may not stop the stock from exploding higher, at least for a few trading sessions.
On Jan. 19, the Nasdaq Stock Market issued a notice to Bed Bath & Beyond for its delayed quarterly report. The firm has until March 13 to regain compliance.
Carvana (CVNA)
Carvana (NYSE:CVNA) shares surged in mid-Jannuary and again on Feb. 2 despite the online used automobile firm’s struggles.
On Jan. 24, 2023, Illinois said that Carvana admitted wrongdoing when it violated the state’s vehicle code in a manner that was harmful to Illinois consumers. The company issued out-of-state temporary registration permits. It failed to transfer titles promptly.
Its settlement with the Illinois Secretary of State includes surrendering its $250,000 bond.
Carvana is one of the meme stocks to sell as bears with a short float of almost 60% get squeezed. The company posted an 8% year-on-year decline in retail units sold in the third quarter of 2022. In its letter to shareholders, the company posted a net loss margin of 15%, widening from 2.0% previously.
Despite used auto prices soaring, Carvana managed to lose money from sales. The $2.67 per share loss may widen in the quarters ahead. Used auto prices are falling. Investors should anticipate that consumers will delay purchases as inflation hurts their disposable income.
GameStop (GME)
GameStop (NYSE:GME) faces substantial headwinds as gaming companies struggle. Electronic Arts (NYSE:EA) posted net bookings falling by 9.3% year over year to $2.34 billion. It delayed its launch of the game, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor to Q1 FY 2024.
This company is one of the original meme stocks. This makes it the oldest, outdated meme stock to sell. In Q3/2022, net sales fell to $1.186 billion, down from $1.297 billion in the prior year.
Its inventory of over $1 billion is another red flag for investors. The net loss of $94.7 million is smaller year over year. However, hopeful investors will stop waiting for the company to achieve profitability.
GameStop did not strengthen investor confidence during its conference call. Unlike most firms, this company did not host a question-and-answer session with analysts.
Peloton Interactive (PTON)
Peloton Interactive (NASDAQ:PTON) thrived by selling exercise bikes during the pandemic. Investors should have dumped the stock before the internet recognized the product as a pricey clothes rack that people struggled to resell.
PTON stock doubled in price between December 2022 and early February 2023. Investors craved a comeback story. Chief Executive Officer Barry McCarthy said that the Peloton pass doubled and is continuing to grow rapidly this quarter. The CEO added that the product attracts customers with a higher household income.
Peloton enriched its holiday promotion to achieve an average net monthly connected fitness churn of just 1.1%. Investors dismissed the 98 cents per share loss as revenue fell by 30.1% year over year to $792.7 million.
Looking ahead, the company does not have another holiday boost to temporarily help its business. Its product could face higher competition from former customers selling the bike online, which is why it’s among the meme stocks to sell while you can.
It cannot keep cutting expenses to achieve positive free cash flow without damaging the business. The more customer support quality falls, the higher the risk of lower customer satisfaction.
Robinhood Markets (HOOD)
Robinhood Markets (NASDAQ:HOOD) is one of the biggest suppliers of meme trading content as well as one of the best meme stocks to sell w before they completely tank. The trading app has an easy user interface that lets users share gains, losses, and charts with simple screen capture for posting.
On Dec. 7, 2022, Robinhood posted a 4% decline in equities trading volume. Cash sweep balances increased by $2 billion. When investors park their holdings in cash, the brokerage earns less from trading activity.
On Jan. 11, 2023, Robinhood ended support for Bitcoin SV. This could be the first of many cryptocurrencies that it removes. As it will analyze each one on its platform for soundness, customer interest in this area may worsen. This will pressure the company to rely on stock transactions for revenue.
Robinhood needs stock markets to continue its Jan. 2023 rally. Any selling panic this month or in the quarter ahead would dissuade account holders from trading. A slowdown in equities would send HOOD stock lower from here.
Silvergate Capital (SI)
Silvergate Capital (NYSE:SI) rose sharply on Feb. 2 when State Street disclosed a 9.32% stake. This is a crypto meme stock to sell as markets question its survival. Last month, it suspended a Series A preferred stock dividend, saving it just $2.5 million a quarter.
The firm did this to maintain a liquid balance sheet. It cited the recent volatility in the digital asset industry as the reason for the suspension.
Silvergate benefited when crypto prices rose alongside the stock market, lifting SI stock with it. Still, investors should worry that the crypto momentum could collapse at any time. This would renew selling pressure on the crypto platform and lending stocks.
Silvergate’s association with FTX is a liability. The firm is reportedly the subject of a Department of Justice probe tied to FTX and Alameda dealings. Bears are highly certain of Silvergate’s demise. They have a heavy bet against Silvergate of over 75%.
On the date of publication, Chris Lau did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.
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