Some Tourmaline Oil (TSE:TOU) Shareholders Have Taken A Painful 76% Share Price Drop

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Some stocks are best avoided. We don't wish catastrophic capital loss on anyone. Anyone who held Tourmaline Oil Corp. (TSE:TOU) for five years would be nursing their metaphorical wounds since the share price dropped 76% in that time. And some of the more recent buyers are probably worried, too, with the stock falling 41% in the last year. The falls have accelerated recently, with the share price down 29% in the last three months.

View our latest analysis for Tourmaline Oil

To quote Buffett, 'Ships will sail around the world but the Flat Earth Society will flourish. There will continue to be wide discrepancies between price and value in the marketplace...' By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.

Tourmaline Oil became profitable within the last five years. Most would consider that to be a good thing, so it's counter-intuitive to see the share price declining. Other metrics might give us a better handle on how its value is changing over time.

In contrast to the share price, revenue has actually increased by 12% a year in the five year period. A more detailed examination of the revenue and earnings may or may not explain why the share price languishes; there could be an opportunity.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

TSX:TOU Income Statement, September 2nd 2019
TSX:TOU Income Statement, September 2nd 2019

It's probably worth noting we've seen significant insider buying in the last quarter, which we consider a positive. On the other hand, we think the revenue and earnings trends are much more meaningful measures of the business. If you are thinking of buying or selling Tourmaline Oil stock, you should check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

A Different Perspective

Tourmaline Oil shareholders are down 39% for the year (even including dividends), but the market itself is up 0.4%. 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 24% per year over five years. Generally speaking long term share price weakness can be a bad sign, though contrarian investors might want to research the stock in hope of a turnaround. Investors who like to make money usually check up on insider purchases, such as the price paid, and total amount bought. You can find out about the insider purchases of Tourmaline Oil by clicking this link.

Tourmaline Oil is not the only stock that insiders are buying. 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.

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