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Even the best stock pickers will make plenty of bad investments. And there's no doubt that Monster Uranium Corp. (CVE:MU.H) stock has had a really bad year. In that relatively short period, the share price has plunged 51%. Even if you look out three years, the returns are still disappointing, with the share price down (the share price is down 37%) in that time. Furthermore, it's down 27% in about a quarter. That's not much fun for holders. This could be related to the recent financial results - you can catch up on the most recent data by reading our company report.

View our latest analysis for Monster Uranium

With zero revenue generated over twelve months, we don't think that Monster Uranium 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). For example, investors may be hoping that Monster Uranium finds some valuable resources, before it runs out of money.

Companies that lack both meaningful revenue and profits are usually considered 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 do very well over the long term, others become hyped up by promoters before eventually falling back down to earth, and going bankrupt (or being recapitalized). It certainly is a dangerous place to invest, as Monster Uranium investors might realise.

Our data indicates that Monster Uranium had CA$333,475 more in total liabilities than it had cash, when it last reported in March 2019. That puts it in the highest risk category, according to our analysis. But since the share price has dived -51% in the last year, it looks like some investors think it's time to abandon ship, so to speak. You can see in the image below, how Monster Uranium's cash levels have changed over time (click to see the values).

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? It would bother me, that's for sure. You can click here to see if there are insiders selling.

A Different Perspective

While the broader market gained around 0.8% in the last year, Monster Uranium shareholders lost 51%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. 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. 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. You might want to assess this data-rich visualization of its earnings, revenue and cash flow.

We will like Monster Uranium better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

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.