GameStop Moves to Cut Debt Through Stock Exchange
The transaction would leave roughly $1.1 billion of 2030 notes outstanding after closing.
GameStop Corp. (GME), the videogame retailer, agreed to exchange about $1.4 billion of convertible senior notes for common stock, a transaction expected to reduce long-term debt by roughly the same amount.
The exchange marked a shift in GameStop’s capital structure by replacing a portion of its borrowing with equity. The company would complete the debt reduction without using cash.
GameStop did not provide quarterly revenue, earnings or year-over-year comparisons in the supplied announcement. The transaction instead centered the latest update on balance-sheet management.
The agreement covered part of two convertible-note issues. About $1.1 billion of notes due in 2030 and $1.7 billion due in 2032 are expected to remain outstanding after the exchange closes.
The exchange is expected to lower long-term debt by about $1.4 billion. Its cash balance would be unaffected by the conversion itself because the consideration consists of common stock.
GameStop would still carry approximately $2.8 billion across the two note issues after closing, leaving the company with a smaller debt load and a substantial amount of convertible borrowing outstanding.