Yahoo Finance Easy Come, Easy Go: How Contagious Gaming (CVE:CNS) Shareholders Torched 99% Of Their Cash
Contagious Gaming Inc. (CVE:CNS) has rebounded strongly over the last week, with the share price soaring 67%. But will that repair the damage for the weary investors who have owned this stock as it declined over half a decade? Probably not. Five years have seen the share price descend precipitously, down a full 99%. It's true that the recent bounce could signal the company is turning over a new leaf, but we are not so sure. The fundamental business performance will ultimately determine if the turnaround can be sustained.
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 Contagious Gaming
We don't think Contagious Gaming's revenue of CA$120,406 is enough to establish significant demand. We can't help wondering why it's publicly listed so early in its journey. Are venture capitalists not interested? So it seems that the investors focused more on what could be, than paying attention to the current revenues (or lack thereof). Investors will be hoping that Contagious Gaming can make progress and gain better traction for the business, before it runs low on cash.
As a general rule, if a company doesn't have much revenue, and it loses money, then it is a high risk investment. You should be aware that there is always a chance that this sort of company will need to issue more shares to raise money to continue pursuing its business plan. While some such companies do very well over the long term, others become hyped up by promoters before eventually falling back down to earth, and going bankrupt (or being recapitalized). Contagious Gaming has already given some investors a taste of the bitter losses that high risk investing can cause.
Our data indicates that Contagious Gaming had CA$1.1m more in total liabilities than it had cash, when it last reported in September 2019. That makes it extremely high risk, in our view. But since the share price has dived -65% per year, over 5 years , it looks like some investors think it's time to abandon ship, so to speak. You can see in the image below, how Contagious Gaming's cash levels have changed over time (click to see the values). You can see in the image below, how Contagious Gaming's cash levels have changed over time (click to see the values).
It can be extremely risky to invest in a company that doesn't even have revenue. There's no way to know its value easily. What if insiders are ditching the stock hand over fist? I would feel more nervous about the company if that were so. It costs nothing but a moment of your time to see if we are picking up on any insider selling.
A Different Perspective
While the broader market gained around 1.4% in the last year, Contagious Gaming shareholders lost 50%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. However, the loss over the last year isn't as bad as the 65% per annum loss investors have suffered over the last half decade. We'd need to see some sustained improvements in the key metrics before we could muster much enthusiasm. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 5 warning signs for Contagious Gaming (of which 3 don't sit too well with us!) you should know about.
If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on CA exchanges.
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.
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