Stocks/IMMR

IMMR

Immersion Corporation
Technology·Software - Application
$6.48
$214M market cap
Claude Rating
1/10STRONG SHORT
Revenue
$1.7B
Free Cash Flow
$-153.3M
Rev Growth
+1082.5%
FCF Margin
-9.0%
P/FCF
--
EV/FCF
--
Fwd EV/EBITDA
--
Fair Value
$1.75
Upside
-73.0%

Immersion Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, invents, scales, and licenses haptic technologies that allow people to use their sense of touch to engage with and experience various digital products in North America, Europe, and Asia. The company provides technology, patent, and combined licenses. It also provides software development kits (SDKs) comprising tools, integration software, and effect libraries that allow for the design, encoding, and playback of tactile effects in content. In

2-Year Price History

$6.27-31.0%
$6.0$7.0$8.0$9.0$10$11$12volJun 24Oct 24Jan 25May 25Sep 25Jan 26May 26

Quarterly Financials & Projections

Quarterly Waterfall ($ M)
PeriodRevEBITDAOpInNIOCFFCFCapExCashDebtSharesROICIntCovEV/EBITDA
Est2027-Q2330.0-13.2---33.0---49.5-2.3-260.8----------
Est2027-Q1260.0-18.2---36.4---57.2-1.6-211.3----------
Est2026-Q4360.0-16.2---34.2---57.6-2.5-154.1----------
Est2026-Q3500.0-7.5---25.0---50.0-4.0-96.5----------
Est2026-Q2350.0-12.3---31.5---49.0-2.5-46.5----------
Est2026-Q1280.0-16.8---33.6---56.0-1.72.5----------
Est2025-Q4380.0-15.2---30.4---57.0-2.758.5----------
Act2025-Q4518.520.15.0-10.3-33.8-37.5-3.7177.9310.832.92.6%5.1x2.5x
Est2025-Q3520.0-10.4---28.6---62.4-4.2115.5----------
Act2024-Q4474.851.026.215.5-43.7-46.3-2.6153.9322.133.112.8%12.2x2.5x
Act2024-Q3616.377.364.427.222.017.3-4.7159.4469.332.933.8%17.0x4.5x
Act2024-Q299.432.225.429.0-85.9-86.9-0.9133.4394.332.513.3%35.7x8.7x
Act2024-Q143.916.716.618.729.929.9-0.0179.10.031.444.4%--1.4x
Act2023-Q410.45.15.016.07.87.8-0.0160.40.132.716.3%--2.6x
Act2023-Q39.54.06.52.74.04.0-0.0150.70.132.830.9%1.7x3.7x
Act2023-Q27.010.03.17.05.25.2-0.0157.50.132.811.7%--4.2x
Act2023-Q17.13.33.38.33.53.5-0.0148.40.333.112.8%--4.0x
Act2022-Q49.25.85.819.78.18.1-0.0149.70.532.639.0%--1.1x
Act2022-Q314.011.110.97.713.413.4-0.0133.60.733.787.9%5.1x--
Act2022-Q28.04.34.1-1.87.67.6-0.0136.91.033.638.0%0.7x--
Act2022-Q17.35.83.65.111.011.0-0.0146.51.134.325.5%2.9x--
Historical Valuation

Multiples vs the company's own history — cheap or rich relative to itself? Historical fiscal years, then TTM, then forward projections (E). Forward rows hold today's price against projected earnings, so the multiple compresses if the company grows into it.

YearPriceRev GrEBITDA %EBITDAEV/EBITDAEV/FCFP/EP/S
20226.2970.5%271.1×0.8×5.9×4.7×
20236.50-11.8%65.8%222.6×2.8×6.4×6.5×
20248.24+3538.9%14.3%1772.5×n/m3.1×0.2×
TTM6.48+2317.4%10.6%1810.0×0.0×0.0×0.0×
2026E6.48-12.8%-0.0%-10.0×0.0×0.0×0.0×

EBITDA in reporting-currency $M. Historical multiples use year-end market cap (split-adjusted price history); TTM & forward years use today's.

AI Analysis

LLM Evaluations

Claude1/10STRONG SHORTFV: $1.75

Immersion is a broken story. What was once a high-margin IP licensing company has been transformed into a heavily indebted, low-margin retail holding company via the BNED acquisition. The core licensing business has collapsed (92% revenue decline), key patents have been invalidated, the company faces Nasdaq delisting, requires accounting restatements suggesting material internal control failures, and carries ~$170M in debt against a $184M market cap. The poison pill adoption signals management entrenchment rather than shareholder value creation. With 11.5% short interest, negative FCF, limited cash runway, and extreme accounting opacity, this is a strong avoid/short candidate. The only potential upside scenario is a takeout of the remaining IP portfolio, but the Valve patent loss materially impairs even that option value.

Catalyst Nasdaq delisting would force institutional selling and further compress the stock. Restatement findings could reveal worse-than-expected financial deterioration at BNED. Continued patent invalidations would eliminate remaining litigation optionality.
Risk To a short position: a surprise large patent settlement or licensing deal could temporarily spike the stock, or a buyer could emerge for the IP portfolio at a premium to current depressed levels.
Trend
DETERIORATING
Mgmt
2/10
Quarter
2/10
Exp. Move
-25.0%

Valuation & Metrics

Market Stats

Price$6.48
Market Cap$214M
Enterprise Value$347M
P/S Ratio0.1x
P/FCF--
EV/FCF--
FCF Margin (TTM)-9.0%
FCF Yield-71.5%
Dividend Yield (TTM)3.7%
Annual Dilution4.9%
CurrencyUSD

TTM Financial Snapshot

Revenue$1.7B
Net Income$61.3M
Free Cash Flow$-153.3M

Revenue Growth (YoY)+1082.5%
EBITDA Margin10.6%
Net Margin3.6%
FCF Margin-9.0%
CapEx % of Revenue0.7%
SBC % of Revenue0.7%
ROIC15.6%
WC Change % Rev-26.9%
Interest Coverage13.3x

DCF Fair Value Estimate

$-3.41
-152.6% upside
Fair Enterprise Value$-1.1B
− Net Debt$133M
= Fair Equity$-112M
Revenue Growth-5.2% → 1.0%
FCF Margin-9.0% → 2.0%
Discount Rate18.0%
Terminal EV/FCF6.0x

Forward Outlook & Risk

Short Interest

Short % of Float14.3%
Short Shares3.9M
Days to Cover8.1
Change (vs Prior)+0.8%
Short % Float History
14.30%+4.20pp
8.0%10.0%12.0%14.0%04-3007-1509-1511-1401-1504-30

Options

Call IV (ATM)48%
Put IV (ATM)58%
ATM Spread2.4%
Call $OI (near money)$278K
Put $OI (near money)$40K
ATM ExpiryJuly 17, 2026 (56D)
ATM Strike$7.5
Major Expirations2
Near-money chain · July 17, 2026
StrikeCall Bid/AskCall OIPut Bid/AskPut OI
$2.50$3.10/$4.200--/$0.750
$5.00$0.85/$1.8010--/$0.350
$7.50$0.05/$0.200$0.90/$1.855
$10.00--/$0.750$3.30/$4.500
$12.50--/$0.750$5.70/$7.100
Snapshot: 2026-05-22

Forward Projections & Estimates

NTM Revenue Growth-10.5%
Forward FCF Margin-14.7%
Forward EBITDA Margin-3.6%
Forward P/FCF--
Forward EV/FCF--
Forward Int. Coverage-1.1x
Model Risk Score10/10
Bankruptcy Odds45%
Est. Borrow Rate18.0%
Terminal EV/FCF4.0x
LT Growth-2.0%
LT FCF Margin2.0%

Employees

Headcount14
Revenue / Employee$122,065,929
Gross Profit / Employee$29,148,929
2021: 26 → 2022: 20 → 2023: 14 → 2025: 8 (-26% CAGR)

Cash Runway

13.9months
WATCH

Institutional Ownership

Headline & net flow

NET BUYING

In Q1 2026 so far (quarter still filing), institutions are net buyers — bought 7.6% of float, sold 4.3%.

Net flow · Q1 2026still filing
+3.3% of float (net)
Bought 7.6% · Sold 4.3%
125 filers reported (last quarter: 122)

Ownership composition

Active
25.2%(-13.9% YoY)
106 filers
hedge / family / endowment
Retail funds
Fidelity, Schwab, 401(k)
Passive
15.4%(-9.7% YoY)
9 filers
Vanguard, iShares, SPDR
Market makers
2.0%(-0.2% YoY)
4 filers
Citadel, Susquehanna
Insiders
11.8%
Form 4 — latest per insider
0%25%50%75%100%2022-062023-032023-122024-092025-062026-03
ActiveRetail fundsPassiveMarket makersRetail direct

Top holders

Fund$ valueCost basisΔ QoQΔ YoYα lifeFund AUM
BlackRock, Inc.Passive$12.5M$8.28+$162K−$185K-0.2%$5.69T
CDC Financial, Inc.$7.8M$6.72+$0+$7.8M+13.3%$121M
VANGUARD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLCPassive$7.0M$5.46+$7.0M+$7.0M$4.04T
GEODE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLCPassive$4.0M$6.53+$214K+$1K+2.3%$1.61T
Kanen Wealth Management LLC$3.9M$7.50+$1.3M+$595K-2.6%$278M
SUSQUEHANNA INTERNATIONAL GROUP, LLPMM$3.8M$6.97−$98K+$1.8M-0.6%$77.14B
STATE STREET CORPPassive$3.6M$7.40+$68K−$5.1M-0.2%$2.89T
NISSAY ASSET MANAGEMENT CORP /JAPAN/ /ADV$3.3M$6.63+$80K+$286K-0.1%$18.86B
Caption Management, LLC$2.8M$6.98+$196K+$780K-1.1%$2.10B
FMR LLC$2.7M$7.12+$323K+$880K-0.0%$1.89T
SEGALL BRYANT & HAMILL, LLC$2.3M$8.33−$8K−$328K-0.1%$8.06B
Squarepoint Ops LLC$2.2M$7.11+$599K+$1.3M+0.4%$46.27B
MORGAN STANLEY$2.2M$7.56+$676K−$1.2M-0.3%$1.65T
D. E. Shaw & Co., Inc.$1.6M$7.17−$572K+$1.5M-0.3%$118.02B
AQR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC$1.6M$6.33+$1.3M+$1.2M-0.2%$218.19B
Bank of New York Mellon Corp$1.6M$6.74+$90K−$349K-0.2%$543.21B
GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC$1.5M$7.18+$391K+$858K-0.2%$760.93B
NORTHERN TRUST CORPPassive$1.4M$6.37+$78K−$214K-0.2%$755.34B
Qube Research & Technologies Ltd$1.2M$8.30−$507K−$1.1M+0.3%$70.36B
LOS ANGELES CAPITAL MANAGEMENT & EQUITY RESEARCH INC$1.2M$6.85+$563K+$296K-0.0%$25.38B
Cost basis is a volume-weighted estimate from accumulation periods within our 13F history; holders who built their position before our window started will show a stale basis. % above the cost basis is the unrealized gain at the current price.

Trading behavior

Smart-money alpha (lifetime, %/qtr)NEUTRAL
Holders
+1.32%
avg per quarter
Holders (ex-self)
+1.78%
excl. this stock
Buyers (this Q)
-0.44%
40 buyers · $0.01B in
Sellers (this Q)
-0.26%
36 sellers · $0.01B out
alpha coverage: 89% of $ has a lifetime-alpha record
Holder behavior on this stocksource: stock
On big dips (−10%+)
-32.1%
how holders react when this stock falls
On quiet Qs
-13.0%
−10% to +10% baseline
On rallies (+10%+)
-7.9%
how they react when this stock rises
Holders' portfolio flow this Q
+2.5%
inflows — adds are organic
Sellers' portfolio flow this Q
+6.9%
Sellers grew AUM elsewhere — opinionated cut of this stock.
▸ Compare to holder-profile behavior (across all their stocks)
Holder dip (any stock)
-2.4%
Holder mid (any stock)
-3.9%
Holder rally (any stock)
-10.7%

Top Holders Over Time

5-year share-count history (top 10 holders by peak, incl. exited) + price

01.7M3.4M5.2M6.9M$4.78$5.78$6.79$7.79$8.792021-062022-062023-062024-062025-062026-03
hover the chart for per-quarter detailprice (right axis)
Raging Capital Management, LLCLSV ASSET MANAGEMENTMILLENNIUM MANAGEMENT LLC185KInvenomic Capital Management LPCDC Financial, Inc.1.4MROYCE & ASSOCIATES LPPortolan Capital Management, LLCLORD, ABBETT & CO. LLCRENAISSANCE TECHNOLOGIES LLCSkylands Capital, LLC

Analyst Coverage

Analyst Coverage
Analyst Ratings
9
6
Buy: 9Hold: 6Consensus: Buy
Consensus Estimates
QuarterRevenueEBITDANet IncEPSEPS Range# Analysts
2024 Q28M3M6M$0.18$0.18 – $0.181
2024 Q325M9M18M$0.55$0.55 – $0.551
2024 Q499M36M38M$1.14$1.14 – $1.141
2025 Q1450M165M11M$0.33$0.33 – $0.331
2025 Q2250M92M8M$0.23$0.23 – $0.231
2025 Q3250M92M5M$0.14$0.14 – $0.141
2025 Q4610M224M3M$0.10$0.10 – $0.101
2026 Q1425M156M5M$0.15$0.15 – $0.151
2026 Q2230M84M3M$0.09$0.09 – $0.091
2026 Q3585M215M2M$0.06$0.06 – $0.061

Corporate

Executive Compensation (2023-2025)

Direct Pay$9.6M
Incentive & Other$5.3M
Total Compensation$14.9M
% of Revenue0.8%

Insider Trading (last 12mo)

Open-market only (Form 4 P-Purchase + S-Sale). Excludes grants, option exercises, tax withholding, gifts.
Officers & directors
Buys ($, 12mo)
$0
0 txns · 0 insiders · 0 sh
Sells ($, 12mo)
$45K
1 txn · 1 insider · 5,921 sh
Recent transactions
DateSideInsiderTitleSharesPriceDollarsOwned $
2025-06-12SELLDODSON J MICHAELofficer: Chief Financial Officer5,921$7.53$45K$295K

Order Flow (FINRA, ~3w lag)

19.4%retail+2.3pp
13.9%dark+1.5pp
week of 2026-04-13
10%20%30%40%24-1125-0225-0525-0825-1126-0226-04retail (non-ATS)dark (ATS)
Off-exchange volume from FINRA. Retail = non-ATS (wholesaler PFOF + broker internalization). Dark = ATS (dark-pool crossing networks, institutional). Lit-exchange = remainder.

Revenue Breakdown

Revenue Segments

By Product (2025-Q4)
Product and Other$471.8M+12%
Rental Income$43.3MNEW
Fixed Fee License and Per-Unit Royalties$3.4MNEW

Counter-Thesis

Counter-Thesis & Recent News

📰 Recent News

As of late March 2026, Immersion Corporation has received its fourth Nasdaq delinquency notice for failing to file three consecutive quarterly reports (Form 10-Q) and its FY2025 annual report (Form 10-K) on time. Following a March 26, 2026, hearing before the Nasdaq Hearings Panel, the company faces an immediate delisting risk if compliance is not regained. This reporting failure is tied to a massive accounting scandal at its subsidiary, Barnes & Noble Education (BNED), involving unsupported manual journal entries and improper revenue recognition requiring restatements dating back to 2024 (Source: Stock Titan, Investing.com).

🐻 Bear Case

The investment thesis for IMMR has fundamentally broken down as its core haptics licensing business has effectively collapsed. Recent financial results for the quarter ended July 31, 2025, showed a staggering 92% year-over-year decline in royalty and license revenue, falling from $48.4 million to just $3.87 million. The company has pivoted into a low-margin retail holding company for BNED, which now accounts for over 95% of consolidated revenue but brings substantial debt ($170 million) and thin margins. Consolidated operations turned from a profit to a $26.3 million operating loss, with negative operating cash flow of $61.6 million (Source: Seeking Alpha, TipRanks).

🚩 Red Flags

Internal control weaknesses are severe; a high Beneish M-Score of 29.41 suggests possible financial manipulation, while a low Piotroski F-Score of 3 indicates poor operational health. The Board's adoption of a 'Poison Pill' shareholder rights plan in November 2025—designed to prevent takeovers through October 2026—suggests management is defensive and acknowledges the company's extreme vulnerability to hostile bids or activist pressure during this restatement period (Source: Sahm Capital, GuruFocus).

⚔️ Competitive Threats

In September 2025, Immersion lost a major legal battle when the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) ruled in favor of Valve in an inter partes review (IPR), invalidating key patent claims and delaying potential litigation settlements. This loss weakens IMMR's primary monetization strategy (litigation) and invites further challenges from competitors and major tech players like Texas Instruments and Synaptics, who are increasingly dominating the haptic hardware and driver markets (Source: Seeking Alpha, MarketBeat).

💬 Customer Sentiment

Sentiment among core haptics customers appears to have turned sharply negative or disinterested, evidenced by the near-total disappearance of royalty income. The 92% drop in licensing revenue suggests that major hardware manufacturers (mobile/gaming) may be successfully engineering around Immersion’s aging patent portfolio or transitioning to open standards and internal solutions to avoid litigation-driven licensing fees (Source: Investing.com, Stock Titan).