Yahoo Finance Imagine Owning Nevada Zinc (CVE:NZN) And Trying To Stomach The 77% Share Price Drop
Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card!
As every investor would know, not every swing hits the sweet spot. But you have a problem if you face massive losses more than once in a while. So consider, for a moment, the misfortune of Nevada Zinc Corporation (CVE:NZN) investors who have held the stock for three years as it declined a whopping 77%. That might cause some serious doubts about the merits of the initial decision to buy the stock, to put it mildly. The more recent news is of little comfort, with the share price down 52% in a year. The good news is that the stock is up 7.1% in the last week.
Check out our latest analysis for Nevada Zinc
With zero revenue generated over twelve months, we don't think that Nevada Zinc has proved its business plan yet. You have to wonder why venture capitalists aren't funding it. So it seems shareholders are too busy dreaming about the progress to come than dwelling on the current (lack of) revenue. It seems likely some shareholders believe that Nevada Zinc will find or develop a valuable new mine before too long.
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 go on to make revenue, profits, and generate value, others get hyped up by hopeful naifs before eventually going bankrupt. It certainly is a dangerous place to invest, as Nevada Zinc investors might realise.
When it reported in March 2019 Nevada Zinc had minimal cash in excess of all liabilities consider its expenditure: just CA$119k to be specific. So if it has not already moved to replenish reserves, we think the near-term chances of a capital raising event are pretty high. That probably explains why the share price is down 39% per year, over 3 years. You can click on the image below to see (in greater detail) how Nevada Zinc's cash levels have changed over time. You can click on the image below to see (in greater detail) how Nevada Zinc'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. 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 1.2% in the last year, Nevada Zinc shareholders lost 52%. 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 12% 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. You could get a better understanding of Nevada Zinc's growth by checking out this more detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.
If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can grow earnings.
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on CA 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.
