Yahoo Finance Imagine Owning Red Emperor Resources (ASX:RMP) And Trying To Stomach The 82% Share Price Drop
Long term investing is the way to go, but that doesn't mean you should hold every stock forever. We really hate to see fellow investors lose their hard-earned money. Anyone who held Red Emperor Resources NL (ASX:RMP) for five years would be nursing their metaphorical wounds since the share price dropped 82% in that time. And it's not just long term holders hurting, because the stock is down 78% in the last year. Unhappily, the share price slid 9.1% in the last week.
While a drop like that is definitely a body blow, money isn't as important as health and happiness.
Check out our latest analysis for Red Emperor Resources
We don't think Red Emperor Resources's revenue of AU$118,838 is enough to establish significant demand. This state of affairs suggests that venture capitalists won't provide funds on attractive terms. So it seems that the investors focused more on what could be, than paying attention to the current revenues (or lack thereof). For example, they may be hoping that Red Emperor Resources finds fossil fuels with an exploration program, before it runs out of money.
Companies that lack both meaningful revenue and profits are usually considered high risk. There is almost always a chance they will need to raise more capital, and their progress - and share price - will dictate how dilutive that is to current holders. While some such companies go on to make revenue, profits, and generate value, others get hyped up by hopeful naifs before eventually going bankrupt. Red Emperor Resources has already given some investors a taste of the bitter losses that high risk investing can cause.
Red Emperor Resources had cash in excess of all liabilities of just AU$4.3m when it last reported (December 2018). So if it hasn't remedied the situation already, it will almost certainly have to raise more capital soon. With that in mind, you can understand why the share price dropped 29% per year, over 5 years. You can click on the image below to see (in greater detail) how Red Emperor Resources's cash levels have changed over time. You can click on the image below to see (in greater detail) how Red Emperor Resources's cash levels have changed over time.
In reality it's hard to have much certainty when valuing a business that has neither revenue or profit. Given that situation, would you be concerned if it turned out insiders were relentlessly selling stock? I'd like that just about as much as I like to drink milk and fruit juice mixed together. You can click here to see if there are insiders selling.
A Different Perspective
While the broader market gained around 7.1% in the last year, Red Emperor Resources shareholders lost 78%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 29% per year over five years. We realise that Buffett has said investors should 'buy when there is blood on the streets', but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality businesses. If you want to research this stock further, the data on insider buying is an obvious place to start. You can click here to see who has been buying shares - and the price they paid.
Red Emperor Resources is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on AU exchanges.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.