Because its stock price is depressed, Verbio resorts to internally generated cash to finance its expansion rather than going to the stock market for cash. Verbio is investing in the straw processors in Schwedt and Zörbig (2011), the biogas refinery in Hungary (2012) and the biogas refinery in Bulgaria (2013). Because the cash is not booked as earnings the company doesn’t appear to be earning well, but it is. One can see this by comparing the EBITDA and EBIT. EBITDA includes depreciation (AfA) which represents tax write-offs of past investments and is non-taxable cash for future investments. These investments will eventually generate even more cash. This is why Verbio is a stock that can still be picked up cheaply before it is recognized by the broader investment community. I think it is not being recognized because of the disappointments in the past with biodiesel and ethanol.
As Verbio is a growth company, the P/E (KGV) would normally be higher than average. The expectation of future earnings would normally be rewarded with a higher P/E. When the stock finally catches on it should shoot up nicely.
|