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GameStop pops after BofA Merrill Lynch upgrade to buy

Pedestrians pass in front of a GameStop store in New York.
Scott Mlyn | CNBC

Shares of GameStop gained nearly 4 percent Monday, after receiving an upgrade from Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

"We are upgrading GME to 'buy' and raising our estimates and PO (price objective) to $35 as we see the number of underappreciated factors that we believe could meaningfully improve traffic and earnings trends for GameStop over the next few years," BofAML said in a research report released Monday.

BofAML previously had a price objective of $32 on the video game software and hardware retailer.

Primary drivers included the anticipation of mid-cycle console upgrades from Sony/Microsoft as well as the release of "a new console platform from Nintendo."

BofAML also said "the launch of virtual reality this fall … could be particularly impactful for GME."

GameStop shares have climbed about 1.5 percent in 2016.

GameStop YTD


Disclosure: BofA Merrill Lynch does and seeks to do business with issuers covered in its research reports. As a result, investors should be aware that the firm may have a conflict of interest that could affect the objectivity of this report.