Ideagen (IDEA), which is one of my long-standing holdings, announced their interim results this morning. There were no surprises in them but it included a note that David Hornsby, Executive Chairman, would be retiring this year. I think I first met David at a Mello event in 2012 and I purchased some shares soon after because I was impressed by how much he knew about selling software. That turned out to be a wise investment as he has grown the business many times subsequently. My shares were originally purchased at about 15p and are now 285p.
A recent conversation with David did give me the impression that it might be time for him to retire. I submitted a written question to the AGM in October, but it was not answered so I took it up later. The question related to the write off of past sales transactions as being uncollectable which were treated as an exceptional item in the accounts. David then calls me and tells me he did not consider the question reasonable (or “somewhat crass” as he later called it). He also suggested if I was not happy, I should sell my shares. This is not the kind of aggressive response I expect from a Chairman to questions that might have been “pointed” but not unreasonable. I also tried to attend the on-line results presentation this morning but for some technical reason it did not allow me to register. Not at all satisfactory. Anyway thanks for the ride David.
Stock Speculation
There is a very good article in the Financial Times today under the headline “Retail investors rush to find the next stock market unicorn” by James Bianco. It reported how investors have piled into technology stocks in recent months. A Goldman Sachs index of non-profitable tech stocks has risen by 400% since March.
It notes three things have dramatically changed retail investor perceptions of investment in small cap stocks: 1) the cutting of broker commissions to zero; 2) the adoption of fractional purchases; and 3) the increase in savings helped by Government assistance payments (which Biden promises to increase further). In effect money is being spent “chasing unicorns”.
If you read my recent review of the book “Boom and Bust” you will realise that these changes (a rise in liquidity from lower trading costs and money being pumped in) are common drivers of speculative bubbles. It is surely time to be wary.
Verici Dx
I am still on the look-out though for interesting small cap stocks. One company I thought I might understand is Verici Dx (VRCI). The company is focused on producing better control of immunosuppression in kidney transplant patients who often suffer from damaging graft rejection. That may not be obvious from current blood tests used to monitor transplants. As a transplant patient of 20+ years standing I thought I might understand the business.
So I read the prospectus for their IPO on AIM last November. Market cap is now over £100 million but with no revenue or profits. The company is a spin-off from Renalytix AI (RENX) with a similar financial profile and market cap of £640 million but they do expect some sales in 2021.
Both companies have some interesting technology which might certainly be beneficial to kidney disease patients, but the technology is not just unproven but adoption by clinicians might be slow and there are potential competitors.
I consider the valuations way too high for such early-stage businesses even if the potential markets for the technology might be large. A frothy market for such companies puts me off investing until they actually show some revenue. Perhaps these are companies to keep an eye on rather than jump in now.
Roger Lawson (Twitter: https://twitter.com/RogerWLawson )
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