What happened
Shares of GoodRx Holdings (GDRX -0.14%) went up 15.6% in January, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. The company did make a couple of investor presentations during the month and even scored an analyst upgrade. But these events didn't correspond with the stock's biggest moves. From Jan. 21 through Jan. 26, GoodRx stock was up 21%.
So what
GoodRx stock's gains did, however, correspond with a major stock market event. GameStop stock also made its biggest moves during late January. At that time, almost any stock with a lot of short interest received a pronounced boost. This applies to GoodRx stock as well. According to Yahoo! Finance, almost 29% of the stock's float is sold short and it would take more than six trading days for shorts to cover. That's not anywhere close to what GameStop's short interest was, but it's still a lot.
Image source: Getty Images.
GoodRx stock has attracted a lot of bearish sentiment for a variety of reasons. This includes a valuation risk, considering it currently trades at almost 40 times trailing sales. Then there's also the perceived looming threat of Amazon disrupting its business. However, don't count Guggenheim's Vikram Kesavabhotla among the bears. During January, Kesavabhotla started covering GoodRx stock by giving it a buy rating and a price target of $52 per share, according to The Fly.
Now what
To be sure, GoodRx has a lot to prove when it reports earnings later this month. Management guided for revenue of $148 million, good for 31% year-over-year growth. Given its pricey valuation, I believe it will important to at least hit that number.
