Q: Hi, Your comments on awful results last Friday? In the past, analysts seem to like the stock. Looks very cheap. Is it worth owning these stocks so thinly traded (not a single trade on Friday) ? Thanks a lot.
5i Research Answer:
Trading is thin, despite its $480M market cap. Sales had a big drop, to $114M from $159.5M, as prices declined. EPS fell more than half to $1.09 vs $2.57. Production of 24,707 fell slightly. With lower prices, the only way to improve cash flow is with production, and investors prefer to see growth here. The stock is VERY cheap, but then again many in the sector are. We need a catalyst here to create more interest. The balance sheet is decent. ARC Energy owns 63% and insiders own 2.4%, so the float is tight. This keeps many large investors at bay. We would deem it OK, but certainly not a 'need-t-own'.