If You Had Bought Galway Gold (CVE:GLW) Stock Five Years Ago, You'd Be Sitting On A 54% Loss, Today
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Statistically speaking, long term investing is a profitable endeavour. But unfortunately, some companies simply don't succeed. For example the Galway Gold Inc. (CVE:GLW) share price dropped 54% over five years. That's not a lot of fun for true believers. And it's not just long term holders hurting, because the stock is down 50% in the last year. It's up 9.1% in the last seven days.
View our latest analysis for Galway Gold
With zero revenue generated over twelve months, we don't think that Galway Gold has proved its business plan yet. You have to wonder why venture capitalists aren't funding it. So it seems that the investors focused more on what could be, than paying attention to the current revenues (or lack thereof). It seems likely some shareholders believe that Galway Gold will find or develop a valuable new mine before too long.
We think companies that have neither significant revenues nor profits are pretty high risk. 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 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 Galway Gold investors might realise.
When it last reported its balance sheet in September 2018, Galway Gold could boast a strong position, with net cash of US$6.7m. This gives management the flexibility to drive business growth, without worrying too much about cash reserves. But with the share price diving 14% per year, over 5 years, it could be that the price was previously too hyped up. The image below shows how Galway Gold'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. What if insiders are ditching the stock hand over fist? I'd like that just about as much as I like to drink milk and fruit juice mixed together. You can click here to see if there are insiders selling.
A Different Perspective
Galway Gold shareholders are down 50% for the year, but the market itself is up 4.6%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 14% per year over five years. 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. Shareholders might want to examine this detailed historical graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.
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.
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.
