Meme stock speculation propels Koss shares 25% higher on Friday
By Suzanne McGee
July 5 (Reuters) -Shares of headphone maker Koss Corp. KOSS.O soared for the second session in a row on Friday, closing at $13.35 a share, after trading as high as $18.50 early in the day, as social media posts speculated that a post by meme stock influencer Keith Gill indicated his interest in the company.
Some followers of Gill, known to his online followers as 'Roaring Kitty', on social media pointed to cryptic images he posted in May of a microphone posted against the backdrop of the U.S. flag. The image was shown as an emoji that scrolled across the end of a video.
That led to speculation on Reddit, such as Otherwise-Category42's post on the sub-Reddit devoted to GameStop that has been tracking Gill's return, that 'Roaring Kitty' would become a buyer of Koss shares on or around July 4, the U.S. Independence Day holiday. The poster also documented similarities between Koss and GameStop. Others on Reddit, however, were skeptical as the U.S. flag emoticon featured a microphone and not headphones.
Koss' gain on Friday follows a 143.8% jump during Wednesday's abbreviated trading session and brings its gains for the week to nearly 230%. In premarket trading onFriday, the stock briefly traded as much as 74% higher.
"There are absolutely no fundamental reasons why this company might be worth four times what it was at the beginning of the week," said Steve Sosnick, market strategist at Interactive Brokers.
Nearly half of Koss's 9.25 million shares are held by insiders and such a small public float means even small upticks in buying can result in exaggerated moves, Sosnick and other traders noted. By early afternoon Friday, trading volume had topped 47 million shares. Its average daily trading volume over the last 60 days is less than 2 million, traders noted.
Koss could notbe reached for comment.
Gill, who did notreturn calls or e-mails seeking comment, has notmade any publiccomments about Koss. In mid-June, he disclosed a position of 9 million shares in GameStop Corp. GME.N and most recently, revealed in a filing with U.S. regulators that he acquired a 6.6% stake in online pet food retailer Chewy Inc. CHWY.N.
Prior to making the Chewy investment, Gill posted a series of images about a cartoon dog on X that followers believe foreshadowed that disclosure. The earlier video had also featured an emoji of a similar cartoon dog. That sent "Roaring Kitty" fans in search of any hidden meanings in other stocks.
Reporting by Suzanne McGee; editing by Megan Davies and Josie Kao
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
