Such Is Life: How Weebit Nano (ASX:WBT) Shareholders Saw Their Shares Drop 69%

Taking the occasional loss comes part and parcel with investing on the stock market. Unfortunately, shareholders of Weebit Nano Limited (ASX:WBT) have suffered share price declines over the last year. In that relatively short period, the share price has plunged 69%. Weebit Nano may have better days ahead, of course; we've only looked at a one year period. Unfortunately the share price momentum is still quite negative, with prices down 38% in thirty days. Importantly, this could be a market reaction to the recently released financial results. You can check out the latest numbers in our company report.

See our latest analysis for Weebit Nano

With zero revenue generated over twelve months, we Weebit Nano 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. Investors will be hoping that Weebit Nano can make progress and gain better traction for the business, before it runs low on cash.

We think companies that have neither significant revenues nor profits are pretty high risk. The is usually a significant chance that they will need more money for business development, putting them at the mercy of capital markets. So the share price itself impacts the value of the shares (as it determines the cost of capital). 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 Weebit Nano investors might realise.

When it reported in December 2018 Weebit Nano had minimal net cash consider its expenditure: just AU$3.0m to be specific. 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 69% in the last year. You can see in the image below, how Weebit Nano's cash and debt 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? It would bother me, that's for sure. It costs nothing but a moment of your time to see if we are picking up on any insider selling.

A Different Perspective

While Weebit Nano shareholders are down 69% for the year, the market itself is up 8.4%. While the aim is to do better than that, it's worth recalling that even great long-term investments sometimes underperform for a year or more. The share price decline has continued throughout the most recent three months, down 32%, suggesting an absence of enthusiasm from investors. Given the relatively short history of this stock, we'd remain pretty wary until we see some strong business performance. If you would like to research Weebit Nano in more detail then you might want to take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in the company.

Of course Weebit Nano may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this freecollection of growth stocks.

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.