Yahoo Finance The past five years for Infinity Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:INFI) investors has not been profitable
Statistically speaking, long term investing is a profitable endeavour. But along the way some stocks are going to perform badly. To wit, the Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:INFI) share price managed to fall 69% over five long years. That's an unpleasant experience for long term holders. We also note that the stock has performed poorly over the last year, with the share price down 47%. More recently, the share price has dropped a further 18% in a month.
It's worthwhile assessing if the company's economics have been moving in lockstep with these underwhelming shareholder returns, or if there is some disparity between the two. So let's do just that.
Check out our latest analysis for Infinity Pharmaceuticals
We don't think Infinity Pharmaceuticals' revenue of US$2,501,000 is enough to establish significant demand. You have to wonder why venture capitalists aren't funding it. So it seems shareholders are too busy dreaming about the progress to come than dwelling on the current (lack of) revenue. For example, they may be hoping that Infinity Pharmaceuticals comes up with a great new product, before it runs out of money.
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 to raise equity. 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 Infinity Pharmaceuticals investors might realise.
Infinity Pharmaceuticals had liabilities exceeding cash by US$15m when it last reported in September 2022, according to our data. That puts it in the highest risk category, according to our analysis. But since the share price has dived 21% per year, over 5 years , it looks like some investors think it's time to abandon ship, so to speak. You can click on the image below to see (in greater detail) how Infinity Pharmaceuticals' cash levels have changed over time.
Of course, the truth is that it is hard to value companies without much revenue or profit. Given that situation, would you be concerned if it turned out insiders were relentlessly selling stock? 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
We regret to report that Infinity Pharmaceuticals shareholders are down 47% for the year. Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 6.7%. Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 11% over the last half decade. 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. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. To that end, you should learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Infinity Pharmaceuticals (including 1 which is a bit unpleasant) .
If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.
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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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