GameStop Stock Swings Higher on CEO Buzz

The retailer just appointed George Sherman as its new CEO

The shares of GameStop Corp (NYSE:GME) are up 0.9% at $10.64, after the video game retailer appointed George Sherman as its new CEO. Comments and a subsequent price-target cut from Jefferies are keeping a lid on the gains, though. The analyst slashed its GME target price to $12 from $13, noting the company's current lack of vision.

GameStop is no stranger to negative analyst attention. Currently, only one analyst thinks GME is a "strong buy," while four "hold" ratings are on the table, and two "sell" or worse ratings. What's more, the consensus 12-month target price of $11.91 is a tame 11.7% premium to current levels.

The security has been trading in a channel of lower highs and lows since a dramatic bear gap in late January caused the equity to shave off more than 27% in one day. GME found a brief floor in the $11 area before its 30-day moving average forced the shares lower. The security just touched a near 14-year low of $10.35 yesterday, but ended the day in the black.

The stock's recent behavior on the charts has bearish bettors cheering. Short interest rose 7.1% in the last reporting period, and now represents 35.4% of GME's available float, or over two weeks of trading at its average daily volume. Plus, short-term puts have rarely been more popular, per GameStop's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1.67, which sits in the 93rd percentile of its annual range.