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Is Beyond Meat a Buy After Meme Stock Surge? Analysts Say No
Written by Jordan Chussler. Published 11/1/2025.
Key Points
- Beyond Meat is the latest example in the revival of the meme stock frenzy, with shares showcasing the trademark volatility of a short squeeze.
- With 13.25% of the company’s float shorted, it has become a target for Wall Street bears, including former “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli.
- Shares of BYND are down 99.21% from their all-time high in 2019.
Beyond Meat (NASDAQ: BYND) had an appealing origin story. The company develops, manufactures and sells plant-based meat substitutes designed to replicate the taste, texture and appearance of animal-based proteins.
Founded in 2009, Beyond Meat set out to offer sustainable protein options that reduce reliance on livestock farming and its environmental footprint.
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The mission attracted proponents of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing as well as speculative investors. After its May 2019 initial public offering (IPO), shares surged to an all-time high (ATH) of $234.90 that summer. A massive correction in late 2019 carried into 2020, and after a period of sideways trading the stock began a sell-off in July 2021 from which it has not recovered.
Today, BYND trades around $1.84—99.21% below its ATH. Beyond Meat has yet to achieve profitability and remains heavily shorted. But earlier in October, the company unexpectedly grabbed headlines as it became the focus of a 2021-style meme stock short squeeze.
Beyond Meat's Dire Financial Situation
When Beyond Meat last reported quarterly earnings on Aug. 6, adjusted earnings per share (EPS) came in at a loss of $0.43, missing analyst consensus of a $0.37 loss. Quarterly revenue fell 19.5% year over year to $74.96 million, also below the $85.71 million analysts expected.
The earnings miss was consistent with the company's recent trend: no profits, declining sales and higher operating expenses. That has drawn attention from short sellers. Current short interest is elevated at 13.25% of the company's float—nearly 31% higher than the prior month.
Two weeks ago, shares of Beyond Meat closed at $0.52, the stock's lowest recorded level. The following day, however, trading activity surged.
BYND's Meme Stock Rally
According to Morningstar, on Tuesday, Oct. 21, more than 2 billion shares of BYND changed hands—a single-day record for the stock. For context, the average daily trading volume is roughly 143 million shares.
That same day, 18.8 million BYND call options and 645,000 BYND put options changed hands—each the most ever traded in a single day for the ticker.
By the close on Oct. 21, the stock had rallied more than 596%. Similar to the GameStop (NYSE: GME) and AMC Entertainment (NYSE: AMC) episodes in 2021, Beyond Meat's short-squeeze surge prompted several trading halts.
Joseph Saluzzi, head of equity trading at Themis Trading, told Morningstar the heightened volatility has the hallmarks of a meme stock rally: elevated short interest, weak underlying fundamentals and a healthy dose of theatrics.
Some of that theatrics included former "pharma bro" Martin Shkreli, who announced on X that he was increasing a short position against Beyond Meat.
Beyond Meat Capitalizes on the Attention
Management moved quickly to capitalize on the attention. The company announced an expanded distribution deal with Walmart (NYSE: WMT), making products such as the Beyond Burger 6-Pack, Beyond Chicken Pieces and Beyond Steak Korean BBQ-Style available at more than 2,000 Walmart locations across the U.S.
Luxury grocery chain Erewhon also announced it is debuting the updated Beyond Burger and Beyond Beef with Clean Label Project certification, a nod to product quality and transparency.
Those retail partnerships helped fuel investor enthusiasm despite the company's ongoing financial challenges.
Should You Join Beyond Meat's Meme Stock Rally?
Short-term momentum aside, there are meaningful reasons for long-term caution.
From Oct. 22 to Oct. 29, Beyond Meat relinquished about 48% of its gains as the stock remained highly volatile.
The company also recently completed a transaction swapping more than 316 million shares for outstanding convertible debt—an action dilutive to existing shareholders (company release).
Analyst sentiment is broadly negative: nine analysts covering BYND give it a consensus Strong Sell rating, with none assigning a Buy. The average 12-month price target is just $2.08.
Given the company's weak fundamentals, elevated short interest and recent dilution, investors should approach any participation in the meme-driven rally with caution.
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