Why Fitbit Stock Lost 11% in September

^SPX Chart

What happened

Wearable tech specialist Fitbit (NYSE: FIT) underperformed the market last month by shedding 11%, compared with a 0.4% increase in the S&P 500, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence .

^SPX data by YCharts.

The slump reversed Fitbit's earlier gains in the year and put the stock back in negative territory so far in 2018.

So what

Investors haven't been thrilled to see slumping sales and reduced profitability from Fitbit this year. Revenue through the first half of 2018 was down 16%, as net losses rose to $199 million, or $0.83 per share, from $118 million, or $0.52 per share, in the year-ago period.

A man interacts with his fitness tracker.

Image source: Getty Images.

Now what

Fitbit's broader results will depend on how well its latest lineup of products is received by consumers this holiday season. Executives have high hopes for the Charge 3 device, for example, which represents their most aggressive move yet into the premium segment of the wearable niche.

Over the short term, the stock will likely keep swinging in response to developing news on how well that product is doing during the shopping crush in November and December. Further out, for Fitbit to succeed, it needs to demonstrate that it can win market share in highly competitive areas like smartwatches while reducing its reliance on just a handful of product releases to deliver most of its sales gains each year.

10 stocks we like better than Fitbit

When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor , has quadrupled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Fitbit wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

Click here to learn about these picks!

*Stock Advisor returns as of August 6, 2018

Demitrios Kalogeropoulos has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Fitbit. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.


The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

More Related Articles

Info icon

This data feed is not available at this time.

Data is currently not available

Sign up for the TradeTalks newsletter to receive your weekly dose of trading news, trends and education. Delivered Wednesdays.