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As every investor would know, not every swing hits the sweet spot. But you want to avoid the really big losses like the plague. So spare a thought for the long term shareholders of Terrain Minerals Limited (ASX:TMX); the share price is down a whopping 72% in the last three years. That would certainly shake our confidence in the decision to own the stock. And the ride hasn't got any smoother in recent times over the last year, with the price 62% lower in that time. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 50% in the last 90 days.
Check out our latest analysis for Terrain Minerals
We don't think Terrain Minerals's revenue of AU$3,906 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? As a result, we think it's unlikely shareholders are paying much attention to current revenue, but rather speculating on growth in the years to come. For example, investors may be hoping that Terrain Minerals finds some valuable resources, before it runs out of money.
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 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 Terrain Minerals investors might realise.
Terrain Minerals had cash in excess of all liabilities of just AU$613k when it last reported (December 2018). So if it has not already moved to replenish reserves, we think the near-term chances of a capital raising event are pretty high. With that in mind, you can understand why the share price dropped 35% per year, over 3 years. The image below shows how Terrain Minerals's balance sheet has changed over time; if you want to see the precise values, simply click on the image.
In reality it's hard to have much certainty when valuing a business that has neither revenue or profit. Would it bother you if insiders were selling the stock? It would bother me, that's for sure. You can click here to see if there are insiders selling.
A Different Perspective
Terrain Minerals shareholders are down 62% for the year, but the market itself is up 10%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 4.6%, each year, over five years. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. If you would like to research Terrain Minerals in more detail then you might want to take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in the company.