GoPro's stock is getting destroyed, here's why

Daniel Howley
·Technology Editor
GoPro covered in paint
GoPro saw its revenue drop by nearly 40 percent in Q3. (image: Flickr/ Gordon Tarpley)

GoPro (GPRO) just seriously wiped out on its Q3 2016 results and now it’s getting crushed. The action camera maker’s stock price fell by more than 20% in after-hours trading following news that its Q3 revenue fell by close to 40% and that the company cut its full-year revenue expectations. So yeah, things aren’t going so great for GoPro.

CEO Nick Woodman placed the blame for his company’s poor performance on production issues with new GoPro Hero5 camera and GoPro Karma drone. According to Woodman, the production problems, coupled with a lack of available Hero4 cameras on the market, hurt the company’s revenue in the second half of the year including the upcoming Q4.

GoPro’s biggest problem for Q3 was that the Hero5 Black, which the company said is expected to be its best-seller, also happened to see the biggest production issues. Essentially, GoPro took a one-two punch right to the gut.

Adding to the company’s problems is the fact that Q4, which encompasses the holiday season, is usually when GoPro does its best sales. Without enough product on the market to meet demand, the company can’t possibly sell as many cameras as it needed to in order to hit previous guidance estimates.

Outside of production problems, GoPro has to contend with increased competition, especially with regards to its new Karma drone. Specifically, China’s DJI, one of the world’s largest drone makers, recently released its Mavic Pro, which could put further strain on GoPro.

GoPro also had a small spat with Amazon in October that saw it pull its products from the world’s largest online retailer over a pricing dispute, though GoPro says that didn’t have an appreciable impact on the company. While that may be true, it certainly didn’t help.

More generally, GoPro could also be facing issues in terms of interest from more casual consumers. The average person doesn’t need to upgrade their existing GoPro to a newer model every year, just because the new one has slightly improved features. For most people, a camera is a camera. If it shoots clear videos and photos it’s fine.

What’s more, there aren’t a whole lot of people who need a GoPro to begin with. Unless you’re shredding the gnar on a daily basis, a GoPro probably isn’t at the top of your must-have list.

Despite that, GoPro says that demand for its latest products is strong and that the company will return to double-digit growth in 2017. Now that would be an impressive 360. Hopefully someone has a GoPro around to capture it on camera.

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Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.