We're definitely into long term investing, but some companies are simply bad investments over any time frame. We don't wish catastrophic capital loss on anyone. For example, we sympathize with anyone who was caught holding Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:PSTI) during the five years that saw its share price drop a whopping 88%. We also note that the stock has performed poorly over the last year, with the share price down 66%. Even worse, it's down 25% in about a month, which isn't fun at all. However, we note the price may have been impacted by the broader market, which is down 32% in the same time period.

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.

Check out our latest analysis for Pluristem Therapeutics

We don't think Pluristem Therapeutics's revenue of US$23,000 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 Pluristem Therapeutics 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 companies like this go on to deliver on their plan, making good money for shareholders, many end in painful losses and eventual de-listing. Pluristem Therapeutics has already given some investors a taste of the bitter losses that high risk investing can cause.

Pluristem Therapeutics had cash in excess of all liabilities of just US$7.1m 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 35% per year, over 5 years. The image below shows how Pluristem Therapeutics's balance sheet has changed over time; if you want to see the precise values, simply click on the image.

It can be extremely risky to invest in a company that doesn't even have revenue. There's no way to know its value easily. Would it bother you if insiders were selling the stock? I would feel more nervous about the company if that were so. It costs nothing but a moment of your time to see if we are picking up on any insider selling.