Yahoo Finance If You Had Bought Tertiary Minerals (LON:TYM) Stock Five Years Ago, You'd Be Sitting On A 91% Loss, Today
Some stocks are best avoided. We really hate to see fellow investors lose their hard-earned money. For example, we sympathize with anyone who was caught holding Tertiary Minerals plc (LON:TYM) during the five years that saw its share price drop a whopping 91%. The good news is that the stock is up 80% in the last week.
We really feel for shareholders in this scenario. It's a good reminder of the importance of diversification, and it's worth keeping in mind there's more to life than money, anyway.
See our latest analysis for Tertiary Minerals
Tertiary Minerals recorded just UK£189,742 in revenue over the last twelve months, which isn't really enough for us to consider it to have a proven product. You have to wonder why venture capitalists aren't funding it. 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 Tertiary Minerals finds some valuable resources, before it runs out of money.
As a general rule, if a company doesn't have much revenue, and it loses money, then it is a high risk investment. 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 companies like this go on to deliver on their plan, making good money for shareholders, many end in painful losses and eventual de-listing. Some Tertiary Minerals investors have already had a taste of the bitterness stocks like this can leave in the mouth.
Tertiary Minerals had liabilities exceeding cash by UK£20k when it last reported in September 2019, according to our data. That puts it in the highest risk category, according to our analysis. But since the share price has dived -38% 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 Tertiary Minerals's cash levels have changed over time (click to see the values). The image below shows how Tertiary Minerals's balance sheet has changed over time; if you want to see the precise values, simply click on the image.
Of course, the truth is that it is hard to value companies without much 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.
A Different Perspective
Tertiary Minerals shareholders are up 2.9% for the year. Unfortunately this falls short of the market return. But at least that's still a gain! Over five years the TSR has been a reduction of 38% per year, over five years. It could well be that the business is stabilizing. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Tertiary Minerals better, we need to consider many other factors. Case in point: We've spotted 7 warning signs for Tertiary Minerals you should be aware of, and 4 of them are concerning.
If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can grow earnings.
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on GB exchanges.
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.
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. Thank you for reading.
