GameStop’s Next Big Move Could Matter More Than Its Earnings
Ryan Cohen is sitting on a war chest worth billions, and what he chooses to do with it before Tuesday's close could matter far more to GameStop investors than any revenue line in the quarterly report.
GameStop (NYSE:GME | GME Price Prediction) reports fiscal second quarter results Tuesday after the close. With shares down 4.58% year to date and a cash pile north of $7 billion, the reaction will hinge less on the P&L than on what Ryan Cohen does with the balance sheet.
Cash Deployment Now Matters More Than Comps
In Q1 FY2026 revenue rose to $835.3 million, up 14% year over year, with gross margin expanding to 40.7% from 34.5% as collectibles became the largest category at $348.9 million, or 41.8% of sales. SG&A came down to $201.6 million, and interest income from the securities portfolio added another $83.7 million.
The board authorized a fresh $2.0 billion share repurchase program running through June 2, 2029, and GAAP results included a $268.4 million unrealized gain on derivative positions tied to a proposed acquisition of eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY). Management doesn’t typically hold a call or provide guidance, so investors read the release, the 10-Q, and the stock reaction.
Consensus Estimates
Sell-side coverage on GME is thin. Alpha Vantage shows just one EPS analyst and one revenue analyst for the quarter, which is why the estimate ranges collapse to a single number.
| Metric | Q2 FY2026 Est. | Prior Year | FY2027 Est. |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPS | $0.27 | $0.25 | $1.30 |
| Revenue | $756.85M | $972.2M | $3.90B |
The quarterly EPS estimate has been revised up from $0.23 sixty days ago.
Core Retail, Cash Pile, and the eBay Overhang
There are four things worth watching in this report. First, the collectibles trajectory. Trading cards and authentication have been the reason gross margin scaled from the low 30s into the 40s, and any deceleration matters more than a hardware miss.
Second, the revenue figure itself. Comparable Q2 FY2025 revenue was inflated by a $592.1 million hardware and accessories quarter, and international divestitures in Canada, France, and New Zealand continue to compress the top line. You want to see whether the decline is decelerating on a like-for-like basis.
Third, cash deployment. With roughly $8 to $9 billion in cash and securities, any progress on the $2.0 billion buyback, an update on the proposed eBay transaction, and the mark on the Bitcoin position (recently valued in the $519 to $529 million range) will move the stock more than operating metrics.
Fourth, the warrants. The 59 million warrants at a $32.00 exercise price expire October 30, 2026, and with the stock at $19.16, they are well out of the money. Any commentary on the $3.75 billion in convertible notes is fair game.
A Retail-Positioning Stock With a Balance Sheet Problem to Solve
GME trades on retail sentiment as much as fundamentals, and moves have historically been large in both directions. Even with four straight beats, the average day-of reaction has been negative at -1%. The question this quarter is whether Cohen shows how the war chest gets deployed, or leaves the market to keep guessing.
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Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics. Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications. A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.
