Keith Gill delivers his testimony at GameStop hearing: 'I like the stock'

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Published 2021-02-18
Keith Gill, trader on Reddit aka 'Roaring Kitty', delivers his opening statement. Gill joins Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev, Melvin Capital CEO Gabriel Plotkin, Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman and Citadel CEO Ken Griffin in testifying before the House Committee on Financial Services about the GameStop trading activity in late January. For access to live and exclusive video from CNBC subscribe to CNBC PRO: cnb.cx/2NGeIvi

The Reddit and YouTube trading star known as “Roaring Kitty” defended his social media posts that helped spark a mania in GameStop shares last month in testimony released Wednesday, saying he was an individual investor acting only on publicly available information.

The trader, whose real name is Keith Gill, is set to testify Thursday before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Financial Services. Other than defending his actions, Gill used his testimony to again make the case for why he is still bullish on GameStop.

“GameStop’s stock price may have gotten a bit ahead of itself last month, but I’m as bullish as I’ve ever been on a potential turnaround. In short, I like the stock,” Gill said in the comments. “I believed – and I continue to believe – that GameStop has the potential to reinvent itself as the ultimate destination for gamers within the thriving $200 billion gaming industry.”

Through YouTube videos and Reddit posts, Gill — who goes by DeepF------Value on Reddit and Roaring Kitty on YouTube — attracted an army of day traders who cheered each other on and piled into the brick-and-mortar video game stock and call options.

GameStop’s share price ballooned to $483 per share, before spiraling down more than 90% to around $46 per share currently.

“I believed the company was dramatically undervalued by the market. The prevailing analysis about GameStop’s impending doom was simply wrong,” he said in the testimony. “My investment skills had reached a level where I felt sharing them publicly could help others.”

In his testimony, Gil said he started buying shares of GameStop in 2019, when the stock price declined on disappointing earnings. Plus, Gill liked that famed investor Michael Burry was bullish on GameStop.

“Because I thought the stock was undervalued, I purchased call options on June 7, 2019. I increased my position throughout much of 2019 and 2020, because as I continued to analyze the company and its 3 prospects, I became increasingly confident that the share price was indeed dramatically undervalued,” the testimony said.

He said the market was underestimating GameStop’s growth prospects and overestimating the likelihood the video game company would go bankrupt. Gill believes GameStop can expand its digital capabilities and harness its 60 million loyal members, the testimony said.

The WallStreetBets star went on to say that social media platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and WallStreetBets on Reddit are leveling the playing field for individual investors as they work together to build investment ideas.

“I was abundantly clear that my channel was for educational purposes only, and that my aggressive style of investing was unlikely to be suitable for most folks checking out the channel,” said Gill. “Whether other individual investors bought the stock was irrelevant to my thesis – my focus was on the fundamentals of the business.”

Gill’s latest post on Reddit said he made $7.8 million off of GameStop. A proposed class-action lawsuit was brought against Gill on Wednesday, filed in federal court in Massachusetts, alleging that he pretended to be a novice trader despite being a licensed professional.

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All Comments (21)
  • @KeithAdam
    "I am not a cat" with the straightest face ... this guy is the definition of a legend.
  • @JordanReam8186
    GameStop stock is roaring like many did during the 1990s bubble. But this time around, the hype around new chips is happening in a more mature demand environment. I want to invest more than $100k, but not sure aboiut best strategies to use not to get burnt in the market.
  • @FindingTom
    I wanna know who TF had their microphone unmuted while they made 34 straight coffees in the background.
  • @Gabster1990
    He is telling the truth. He is indeed not a cat.
  • @thomasrust6637
    He has done nothing wrong. He analysed a company, found it was undervalued and made some money.... end of!
  • @JW-jd6sn
    The bankers that caused the 2008 crash didn't even have to go through this. Imagine making money of a free market by being smart and having to go through this
  • @NotSureIfSrs_x
    The man said 'I am not a cat' infront of the house committee lmao..
  • @kevinsjournal
    He deserves every last cent he has, inspite of everyone that said different a year ago, he stood his word and stayed loyal to what he believed in, and earned every dollar there, if anything the most humble guy ever to have this happen too, I'm so beyond happy for him, really the true Robinhood and hero in all of this!
  • @mrgabest
    Look at this guy: he doesn't belong in front of Congress. He's not even a cat.
  • @multiwonderrr
    This dude is so innocent i bet he never killed a fly, dude ruined Melvin Capital and robinhood just with his 50k $ , living legend
  • @weiyumama8990
    “It is tragic that some people lost money, and my heart goes out to them” 😂😂😂 this guy is a legend
  • @cmusic24
    Dumb Money recreated this scene pretty well. I remember watching this at work. “As for me, I like the stock.” Will never forget when he said that as well as his final yolo where he exercised his options. I bought in 2020 and am still holding. Nothing has changed. There are many like me. It’s not over.
  • @alex39k
    Now that’s a goddamn American hero
  • @dylanr8481
    Not only did he defend himself, but he secondarily gave business advice to GME. Legend.
  • @i.amplug557
    Who's here after watching Dumb money ... living legend✊🏾