The Darktrace share price plunges 30% in a month. What’s up?

Having exceeded £10 in late September, the Darktrace share price has collapsed by 30% in the past month. What went wrong for this cyber-security stock?

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The FTSE 100 index is up 2.4% over the past month, and some of its constituent shares have soared in value. However, the Footsie’s worst performer over 30 days is the stock of Darktrace (LSE: DARK). As I write, the Darktrace share price stands at 592.84p, down 2.9% today. Furthermore, DARK shares have crashed by 28.7% over the past month.

The Darktrace share price crashes

When Anglo-American cyber-defence firm Darktrace floated on the London Stock Exchange on 30 April, it was valued at £1.7bn. But the Darktrace share price soared like a rocket from the float price of 250p. At its all-time high on 24 September, DARK hit an intra-day peak of 1,003p. In other words, this tech stock had quadrupled in value in less than five months. 

Alas, Darktrace shareholders soon found out that financial gravity means what goes up can eventually come down. Since peaking in late September, the Darktrace share price has plunged, losing over 410p from its high. That’s a crash of more than two-fifths (-40.8%) in under two months. 

In hindsight, it may be that the Darktrace share price at IPO (initial public offering) was perhaps too low at 250p. Indeed, investors who bought at this price would have more than doubled their money, gaining 137.1% in under seven months. Perhaps equally likely is that Darktrace — with 2020 revenues of a mere $200m — was overvalued at £10+ a share. Looking ahead, this growth company might need several quarters of strong revenue growth to underpin its current market value of £4.1bn…

Should you invest, the value of your investment may rise or fall and your capital is at risk. Before investing, your individual circumstances should be assessed. Consider taking independent financial advice.

Cliffdarcy has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services, such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool, we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

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