Advertisement
Canada markets closed
  • S&P/TSX

    22,011.72
    +139.76 (+0.64%)
     
  • S&P 500

    5,070.55
    +59.95 (+1.20%)
     
  • DOW

    38,503.69
    +263.71 (+0.69%)
     
  • CAD/USD

    0.7321
    +0.0020 (+0.28%)
     
  • CRUDE OIL

    83.33
    +1.43 (+1.75%)
     
  • Bitcoin CAD

    90,430.27
    -585.15 (-0.64%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    1,425.89
    +11.13 (+0.79%)
     
  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,336.40
    -10.00 (-0.43%)
     
  • RUSSELL 2000

    2,002.64
    +35.17 (+1.79%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.5980
    -0.0250 (-0.54%)
     
  • NASDAQ

    15,696.64
    +245.33 (+1.59%)
     
  • VOLATILITY

    15.69
    -1.25 (-7.37%)
     
  • FTSE

    8,044.81
    +20.94 (+0.26%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    37,552.16
    +113.55 (+0.30%)
     
  • CAD/EUR

    0.6837
    -0.0013 (-0.19%)
     

Does Market Volatility Impact Starcore International Mines Ltd.'s (TSE:SAM) Share Price?

If you're interested in Starcore International Mines Ltd. (TSE:SAM), then you might want to consider its beta (a measure of share price volatility) in order to understand how the stock could impact your portfolio. Modern finance theory considers volatility to be a measure of risk, and there are two main types of price volatility. First, we have company specific volatility, which is the price gyrations of an individual stock. Holding at least 8 stocks can reduce this kind of risk across a portfolio. The other type, which cannot be diversified away, is the volatility of the entire market. Every stock in the market is exposed to this volatility, which is linked to the fact that stocks prices are correlated in an efficient market.

Some stocks mimic the volatility of the market quite closely, while others demonstrate muted, exagerrated or uncorrelated price movements. Some investors use beta as a measure of how much a certain stock is impacted by market risk (volatility). While we should keep in mind that Warren Buffett has cautioned that 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk', beta is still a useful factor to consider. To make good use of it you must first know that the beta of the overall market is one. Any stock with a beta of greater than one is considered more volatile than the market, while those with a beta below one are either less volatile or poorly correlated with the market.

See our latest analysis for Starcore International Mines

What SAM's beta value tells investors

Looking at the last five years, Starcore International Mines has a beta of 1.92. The fact that this is well above 1 indicates that its share price movements have shown sensitivity to overall market volatility. If this beta value holds true in the future, Starcore International Mines shares are likely to rise more than the market when the market is going up, but fall faster when the market is going down. Share price volatility is well worth considering, but most long term investors consider the history of revenue and earnings growth to be more important. Take a look at how Starcore International Mines fares in that regard, below.

TSX:SAM Income Statement, April 26th 2019
TSX:SAM Income Statement, April 26th 2019

How does SAM's size impact its beta?

Starcore International Mines is a rather small company. It has a market capitalisation of CA$4.0m, which means it is probably under the radar of most investors. It has a relatively high beta, suggesting it is fairly actively traded for a company of its size. Because it takes less capital to move the share price of a small company like this, when a stock this size is actively traded it is quite often more sensitive to market volatility than similar large companies.

What this means for you:

Beta only tells us that the Starcore International Mines share price is sensitive to broader market movements. This could indicate that it is a high growth company, or is heavily influenced by sentiment because it is speculative. Alternatively, it could have operating leverage in its business model. Ultimately, beta is an interesting metric, but there's plenty more to learn. In order to fully understand whether SAM is a good investment for you, we also need to consider important company-specific fundamentals such as Starcore International Mines’s financial health and performance track record. I urge you to continue your research by taking a look at the following:

ADVERTISEMENT
  1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for SAM’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for SAM’s outlook.

  2. Past Track Record: Has SAM been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of SAM's historicals for more clarity.

  3. Other Interesting Stocks: It's worth checking to see how SAM measures up against other companies on valuation. You could start with this free list of prospective options.

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.