As an investor, mistakes are inevitable. But you want to avoid the really big losses like the plague. So spare a thought for the long term shareholders of Bioasis Technologies Inc. (CVE:BTI); the share price is down a whopping 83% in the last three years. That might cause some serious doubts about the merits of the initial decision to buy the stock, to put it mildly. And the ride hasn’t got any smoother in recent times over the last year, with the price 47% lower in that time. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 26% in the last 90 days.
We really hope anyone holding through that price crash has a diversified portfolio. Even when you lose money, you don’t have to lose the lesson.
Check out our latest analysis for Bioasis Technologies
Bioasis Technologies recorded just CA$1,759,285 in revenue over the last twelve months, which isn’t really enough for us to consider it to have a proven product. 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 Bioasis Technologies has the funding to invent a new product before too long.
We think companies that have neither significant revenues nor profits are pretty high risk. 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 companies like this go on to deliver on their plan, making good money for shareholders, many end in painful losses and eventual de-listing. Some Bioasis Technologies investors have already had a taste of the bitterness stocks like this can leave in the mouth.
Bioasis Technologies had liabilities exceeding cash by CA$2.1m when it last reported in August 2019, according to our data. That puts it in the highest risk category, according to our analysis. But with the share price diving 44% per year, over 3 years , it’s probably fair to say that some shareholders no longer believe the company will succeed. The image below shows how Bioasis Technologies’s balance sheet has changed over time; if you want to see the precise values, simply click on the image. You can click on the image below to see (in greater detail) how Bioasis Technologies’s cash levels have changed over time.
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. Given that situation, would you be concerned if it turned out insiders were relentlessly selling stock? It would bother me, that’s for sure. It only takes a moment for you to check whether we have identified any insider sales recently.
A Different Perspective
While the broader market gained around 22% in the last year, Bioasis Technologies shareholders lost 47%. 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. Unfortunately, last year’s performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 29% over the last half decade. 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. Most investors take the time to check the data on insider transactions. You can click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling.
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 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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