MicroStrategy Faces Challenges in Bitcoin Acquisition Strategy

According to CoinDesk, MicroStrategy's (MSTR) aggressive acquisition of bitcoin (BTC) has propelled its shares to increase by over 2,500% in the past five years. However, analyst Gus Gala from Monness Crespi has expressed concerns that this trend may reverse. Gala recently downgraded MicroStrategy's stock to sell, just two weeks after initially rating it as neutral. He cited a growing confidence that the company's convertible issuance strategy might be exhausted. MicroStrategy currently holds 528,185 BTC on its balance sheet and has been consistently purchasing large amounts of bitcoin weekly, primarily funded through common share issuance and sales of its initial preferred series STRK. Gala's price target for MicroStrategy is set at $220, indicating a potential downside of nearly 30% from its current price, which is around $300. Gala highlighted the increasing difficulty MicroStrategy may face in raising funds to purchase bitcoin through share issuance, suggesting a shift towards fixed income vehicles might be necessary. He warned that if fixed income securities do not become a larger part of the company's issuance strategy, its BTC treasury approach could face significant challenges. Gala also pointed out that MicroStrategy has already utilized $18.6 billion of its $21 billion common share at-the-market offering. Additionally, the company raised $711 million last week through STRF, its second series of preferred stock.