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Long term investing is the way to go, but that doesn't mean you should hold every stock forever. We really hate to see fellow investors lose their hard-earned money. For example, we sympathize with anyone who was caught holding Truscott Mining Corporation Limited (ASX:TRM) during the five years that saw its share price drop a whopping 80%. And it's not just long term holders hurting, because the stock is down 30% in the last year. Furthermore, it's down 42% in about a quarter. That's not much fun for holders.
View our latest analysis for Truscott Mining
Truscott Mining recorded just AU$194,925 in revenue over the last twelve months, which isn't really enough for us to consider it to have a proven product. We can't help wondering why it's publicly listed so early in its journey. Are venture capitalists not interested? 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 Truscott Mining 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. There 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 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). Some Truscott Mining investors have already had a taste of the bitterness stocks like this can leave in the mouth.
Our data indicates that Truscott Mining had AU$1,137,883 more in total liabilities than it had cash, when it last reported in December 2018. That puts it in the highest risk category, according to our analysis. But since the share price has dived -28% 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 Truscott Mining's cash levels have changed over time (click to see the values). The image below shows how Truscott Mining'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? I would feel more nervous about the company if that were so. It only takes a moment for you to check whether we have identified any insider sales recently.