Investors Who Bought eSense-Lab (ASX:ESE) Shares Three Years Ago Are Now Down 98%
eSense-Lab Limited (ASX:ESE) shareholders will doubtless be very grateful to see the share price up 40% in the last week. But only the myopic could ignore the astounding decline over three years. The share price has sunk like a leaky ship, down 98% in that time. So we're relieved for long term holders to see a bit of uplift. Of course the real question is whether the business can sustain a turnaround.
We really hope anyone holding through that price crash has a diversified portfolio. Even when you lose money, you don't have to lose the lesson.
See our latest analysis for eSense-Lab
We don't think eSense-Lab's revenue of US$13,000 is enough to establish significant demand. This state of affairs suggests that venture capitalists won't provide funds on attractive terms. 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, they may be hoping that eSense-Lab 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 almost always a chance they will need to raise more capital, and their progress - and share price - will dictate how dilutive that is to current holders. While some such companies go on to make revenue, profits, and generate value, others get hyped up by hopeful naifs before eventually going bankrupt. eSense-Lab has already given some investors a taste of the bitter losses that high risk investing can cause.
eSense-Lab had cash in excess of all liabilities of just US$217k when it last reported (December 2019). So if it has not already moved to replenish reserves, we think the near-term chances of a capital raising event are pretty high. With that in mind, you can understand why the share price dropped 75% per year, over 3 years. You can see in the image below, how eSense-Lab's cash levels have changed over time (click to see the values).
In reality it's hard to have much certainty when valuing a business that has neither revenue or profit. Given that situation, would you be concerned if it turned out insiders were relentlessly selling stock? It would bother me, that's for sure. It costs nothing but a moment of your time to see if we are picking up on any insider selling.
A Different Perspective
The last twelve months weren't great for eSense-Lab shares, which performed worse than the market, costing holders 71%. Meanwhile, the broader market slid about 16%, likely weighing on the stock. Unfortunately, the longer term story isn't pretty, with investment losses running at 75% per year over three years. We'd need clear signs of growth in the underlying business before we could muster much enthusiasm for this one. 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. For example, we've discovered 7 warning signs for eSense-Lab (5 are concerning!) that you should be aware of before investing here.
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 AU 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.
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