How Fibrocell Science, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCSC) Can Impact Your Portfolio Volatility
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If you're interested in Fibrocell Science, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCSC), then you might want to consider its beta (a measure of share price volatility) in order to understand how the stock could impact your portfolio. Volatility is considered to be a measure of risk in modern finance theory. Investors may think of volatility as falling into two main categories. The first category is company specific volatility. This can be dealt with by limiting your exposure to any particular stock. The second type is the broader market volatility, which you cannot diversify away, since it arises from macroeconomic factors which directly affects all the stocks on the market.
Some stocks are more sensitive to general market forces than others. Beta can be a useful tool to understand how much a stock is influenced by market risk (volatility). However, Warren Buffett said 'volatility is far from synonymous with risk' in his 2014 letter to investors. So, while useful, beta is not the only metric to consider. To use beta as an investor, you must first understand that the overall market has a beta of one. A stock with a beta greater than one is more sensitive to broader market movements than a stock with a beta of less than one.
Check out our latest analysis for Fibrocell Science
What does FCSC's beta value mean to investors?
Given that it has a beta of 1.64, we can surmise that the Fibrocell Science share price has been fairly sensitive to market volatility (over the last 5 years). If the past is any guide, we would expect that Fibrocell Science shares will rise quicker than the markets in times of optimism, but fall faster in times of pessimism. Beta is worth considering, but it's also important to consider whether Fibrocell Science is growing earnings and revenue. You can take a look for yourself, below.
How does FCSC's size impact its beta?
With a market capitalisation of US$18m, Fibrocell Science is a very small company by global standards. It is quite likely to be unknown to most investors. Relatively few investors can influence the price of a smaller company, compared to a large company. This could explain the high beta value, in this case.
What this means for you:
Since Fibrocell Science has a reasonably high beta, it's worth considering why it is so heavily influenced by broader market sentiment. For example, it might be a high growth stock or have a lot of operating leverage in its business model. In order to fully understand whether FCSC is a good investment for you, we also need to consider important company-specific fundamentals such as Fibrocell Science’s financial health and performance track record. I urge you to continue your research by taking a look at the following:
Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for FCSC’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for FCSC’s outlook.
Past Track Record: Has FCSC been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of FCSC's historicals for more clarity.
Other Interesting Stocks: It's worth checking to see how FCSC measures up against other companies on valuation. You could start with this free list of prospective options.
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.
