Why is the Cirralto (ASX:CRO) share price up more than 3,000% in 12 months?

The Cirralto Ltd (ASX:CRO) share price has been a huge mover on the S&P/ASX All Technology Index this year, but why?

| More on:
A male ASX investor wearing glasses and a beanie and denim shirt puts his hand to his chin wondering whether to buy ASX shares

Image source: Getty Images

You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn More

The Cirralto Ltd (ASX: CRO) share price has been a huge mover on the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) this year, rising from just one cent to a high of over 11 cents per share.

The Cirralto share price is already in the news today and has closed down 7.3% at 6.3 cents per share after its latest investor presentation.  

Let's take another look.

Cirralto's ups and downs

Long-time investors may be familiar with the Cirralto story. It's a technology investment company based in Australia, which acquires, develops and commercialises tech assets that modernise IT systems.

Data storage, migration and cloud-based computing are all key areas for the company. Its products include PoolBox, Flash Convert, Synk'd and its latest payment service, Spenda.

The company has attempted to enter the buy now, pay later (BNPL) space as a B2B offering over the past few months, which saw its share price surge and reach 12-month gains of 4,810% in March. 

Throughout this period its often seen daily gains of more than 200%, punctuated by significant weekly and monthly losses.

At its high, it raised $18 million in capital to launch Spenda in the BNPL market. After a period of work behind the scenes and share price drops, which perhaps reflected the ongoing investor uncertainty in this company, it upgraded its pay services at the beginning of May.

It was potentially seen as being late to the party after such high initial BNPL interest, and that appears to have hurt trust in the company. The company's latest financial reports show a 25% increase in cash receipts, 12% increase in customer numbers, and 18% increase in merchant turnover.

Still, the Cirralto share price falls.

The company believes Spenda has a market advantage because it can provide payment services cheaper than most of its rivals on the market, and it has a higher level of integration with a range of existing platforms.

It's currently tightly marketing Spenda in key areas, where it hopes to create notable efficiencies in connecting consumers, retailers and manufacturers throughout the payment process.

Foolish takeaway

Despite seemingly positive reports from the company this month, some investors clearly believe it has been overhyped. The Cirralto share price has lost 22% in the past month and has declined on 13 of the past 30 days. 

It's easy to see why Cirralto could drive this kind of hype. It's a company that appears to have many of the right pieces: strong sales growth, cloud-based IT systems, BNPL technology, high profile financial partnerships and a huge market capitalisation for a six-cent share.

But it's also proven a little nerve-wracking, and some director share sell-offs in hard times create an uneasy feeling. It's also been exceptionally volatile in a period that's seen a boom in ASX technology shares, with no shortage of quiet achievers on the index. 

Motley Fool contributor Lucas Radbourne-Pugh has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Bruce Jackson.

More on Technology Shares

Man with rocket wings which have flames coming out of them.
Technology Shares

Guess which ASX All Ords share is rocketing 16% on an asset sale

This share is catching the eye with a very big gain on Friday. But why is it rising?

Read more »

a man clasps his hand to his forehead as he looks down at his phone and grimaces with a pained expression on his face as he watches the Pilbara Minerals share price continue to fall
Technology Shares

Why are Megaport shares sinking 14% on Friday?

Why are investors hitting the sell button? Let's find out.

Read more »

A white and black robot in the form of a human being stands in front of a green graphic holding a laptop and discussing robotics and automation ASX shares
Technology Shares

Why today is a big day for this ASX 200 AI stock

This company stands to benefit from 'one of the most profound transformations in the history of technology'.

Read more »

A man holds his head in his hands, despairing at the bad result he's reading on his computer.
Technology Shares

Why are WiseTech Global shares crashing almost 20% today?

Recent controversy has led to delays to an important launch and hit its revenues.

Read more »

Woman with speaker
Technology Shares

After falling 62%, this leading ASX 200 share could be gearing up for growth!

This industry-leading company looks like a turnaround opportunity to me.

Read more »

A man has computer-generated images rushing through his head indicating an AI (Artificial Intelligence) concept of a communication network.
Technology Shares

ASX investors are obsessed with Nvidia shares! Here's why

The global chipmaker reported a 94% increase in annual revenue in the third quarter.

Read more »

A woman sits at her computer with her hand to her mouth and a contemplative smile on her face as she reads about the performance of Allkem shares on her computer
Technology Shares

Own WiseTech shares? Here's what to watch at Friday's AGM

This could be one of the major events of the year.

Read more »

Woman and man calculating a dividend yield.
Technology Shares

This ASX tech stock is down 93% from its highs. Could Trump tariffs give it a boost?

The ASX tech stock could enjoy tailwinds from Trump’s threatened tariffs.

Read more »