Executive Summary
The Story So Far
Why This Matters
Who Thinks What?
Beyond Meat Inc. shares surged over 60% on Wednesday, fueled by a renewed wave of buying from retail traders. This activity follows a significant 146% jump on Tuesday, which was partly driven by the announcement of an expanded distribution deal with Walmart. The plant-based meat company, which has struggled with declining sales and a substantial debt load, has become one of the market’s most heavily shorted stocks, drawing parallels to previous meme stock frenzies on Wall Street.
Market Dynamics and Short Interest
The recent rally has seen Beyond Meat’s stock price increase nearly seven-fold since October 16, when it reached a low of 50 cents. With approximately 81.8% of its free-float held by short sellers, up from 64% just last week, the company remains a prime candidate for a short squeeze. This surge comes after the stock dropped to an all-time low following a notes exchange offer designed to avert near-term default, albeit at the cost of significant stock dilution.
Ivan Cosovic, managing director of Germany-based data group Breakout Point, characterized Beyond Meat as having “the classic meme cocktail” of being loss-making, heavily shorted, and easily “meme-able.” He noted hundreds of mentions across retail channels, indicating strong community engagement.
Retail Trader Influence and Context
Retail traders purchased nearly $35 million worth of Beyond Meat stock on Tuesday, marking the largest single-day purchase on record, according to Vanda Research data. This surge in interest has also extended to other beaten-down consumer names, including Krispy Kreme and GoPro, which saw their shares rise by approximately 30% and an unspecified amount, respectively, on Wednesday.
Alex Coffey, senior trading & derivatives strategist at Charles Schwab, suggested that this activity reflects “a trading mindset as opposed to some sort of investment capital,” indicating a willingness to take short-term risk. The phenomenon revives memories of the 2021 Reddit-driven meme stock frenzy, which saw amateur investors drive up shares of companies like GameStop and AMC Entertainment, impacting hedge funds with short positions.
Social Media and Key Figures
Beyond Meat’s shares have gained significant attention this week on popular investor-focused social media platforms, including Reddit’s r/WallStreetBets and X.com. Business Insider reported that trader Dimitri Semenikhin was a key figure behind the enthusiasm, advocating for the company through posts on the X.com handle Capybara Stocks.
Semenikhin told Reuters that he believed the company was “severely mis-priced and undervalued” when its stock traded under a dollar, leading him to purchase over 4% of the float pre-dilution. He expressed surprise at the “scale at which this has been happening and speed and community engagement that this has formed.”
Broader Market and ETF Impact
The broader market has also seen optimism, driven by advancements in AI and expectations of potential interest rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve, pushing the market to record highs. The Roundhill MEME exchange-traded fund (ETF), which tracks retail-favorite stocks, advanced 5.3% on Wednesday, having added Beyond Meat to its holdings on Monday with the largest weightage at approximately 10.2%.
Summary
Beyond Meat’s recent stock surge is largely attributed to a significant influx of retail trader buying, capitalizing on the company’s high short interest and social media momentum. This activity, reminiscent of past meme stock events, has provided a temporary boost to the struggling plant-based meat producer, alongside other shorted consumer companies.
