GoPro has its best day ever as YouTube star Markiplier becomes largest shareholder

Shares of small cap GoPro, which just two months ago flagged going-concern risk due to rising memory card prices, surged 46% on Monday, the best single-day performance in the company’s history. The rally was powered by news that YouTube star Mark Fischbach, known as Markiplier, had become GoPro’s largest shareholder. His YouTube channel has around 39 million subscribers.

GoPro shares jumped 46% on Monday to $0.88 apiece. It was the sharpest single-day gain in the company’s history, Stocktwits writes. The stock had soared around 90% in early trading Tuesday as of this writing.

Markets were reacting to a Bloomberg story that Fischbach had acquired an 8.5% stake in GoPro, which made him its largest shareholder. As of August 20, Fischbach owned 13.5 million shares. At Monday’s close, the stake was worth $11.8 million, while the camera maker’s total market capitalization stood at around $161.7 million.

Fischbach is not an investing professional or an activist investor like Bill Ackman or Carl Icahn. He is rather an avid user of GoPro cameras who cannot believe the company’s valuation is so low, Bloomberg wrote. “I saw the stock and where it was, I was like that seems undervalued,” Fischbach said in an interview. “I want the company to succeed.”

Fischbach told Bloomberg that his investment is part of a broader mission to make filmmaking more accessible. Earlier this year, he released his movie Iron Lung, which grossed $51 million on a budget of $3 million, distributing it on his own, without the help of a major studio. Fischbach’s other investments include a stake in Strada, a developer of video workflow tools. Bloomberg also noted that the YouTuber has a sponsorship deal with GoPro.

GoPro shares have fallen more than 36% since the beginning of 2026, even after Monday’s rally. In May, the company announced that it had begun exploring strategic alternatives, which could include a sale of the company or a merger with another player. In June, it said there was substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Lowering its sales forecast for the current year, GoPro cited a sharp increase in memory card prices and production cuts, which affected purchases of other components.

In the second quarter, GoPro’s revenue fell 31% year over year to $105 million, while its net loss widened around 219% to $51 million. Only one Wall Street analyst covers the stock. They have a “sell” rating on GoPro at a target price of $0.50 per share, implying 43% downside from the last close.