Ascent Resources (AST) AI Stock Analysis

• Market Cap: £3.04M
• Dividend Yield: N/A
• Average Volume (3M): 2.14M
• Price to Earnings (P/E): ―
• Beta (1Y): >-0.01
• Revenue Growth: N/A
• EPS Growth: N/A
• Country: UK
• Employees: 7
• Sector: Energy
• Sector Strength: 52
• Industry: Oil & Gas Exploration & Production
• EPS (TTM): >-0.01
• Shares Outstanding: 810,887,450
• 10 Day Avg. Volume: 894,401
• 30 Day Avg. Volume: 2,138,295
• PEG Ratio: -0.02
• Price to Book (P/B): -11.70
• Price to Sales (P/S): 0.00
• P/FCF Ratio: -3.80
• Enterprise Value/Market Cap: N/A
• Enterprise Value/Revenue: N/A
• Enterprise Value/Gross Profit: N/A
• Enterprise Value/Ebitda: N/A
• 1Y Price Target: N/A
• Price Target Upside: N/A
• Rating Consensus: N/A
• Number of Analyst Covering: 0
• EPS Forecast (FY): N/A
• Revenue Forecast (FY): £2.88B

• Rating: 43 Neutral
• Price Target: 0.34p ▼(-16.00% Downside)

The score is primarily constrained by weak financial performance—zero revenue in 2024, persistent losses, negative equity, rising debt, and ongoing cash burn. Technicals add further pressure with the stock below key moving averages and negative MACD, while valuation impact is neutral due to missing P/E and dividend data.

Positive Factors

Focused Appalachian basin footprint

A concentrated operating footprint in the Appalachian/Utica shale supports repeatable execution, local infrastructure familiarity and potential scale efficiencies. Over months this reduces operational complexity, aids drilling optimization, and can lower per-well costs versus a fragmented asset base.

Midstream integration and control

Managing gathering, processing and transport arrangements provides structural advantages: better takeaway reliability and the potential to capture higher netbacks versus producers without firm midstream access. This durable control can protect margins and support steady sales volumes.

Historical equity strength

Past periods of strong equity indicate the company was previously able to build capital and scale assets, suggesting underlying asset value and historical access to funding. That legacy can aid restructuring or capital-raising efforts if operational turnarounds are pursued.

Negative Factors

Zero revenue in 2024

Reporting zero revenue for 2024 is a clear structural impairment: it severs operating cash inflows and undermines sustainability. Without recurring sales, the company must rely on financing or asset disposals, making long-term production plans and investment highly uncertain.

Persistent negative cash generation

Consistent negative operating and free cash flow across multiple years signals ongoing cash burn and an inability to self-fund operations or maintenance capex. Over months this raises refinancing risk, constrains capital allocation, and can force value-destructive financing or asset sales.

Negative equity and rising debt

Negative shareholders' equity combined with a sharp debt increase materially weakens financial resilience. This long-term balance-sheet deterioration limits access to credit markets, increases default and covenant risk, and may compel dilutive financing or distressed asset disposals.

Ascent Resources Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description

Ascent Resources Plc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an independent oil and gas exploration and production company in Slovenia and the United Kingdom. It primarily holds a 75% interest in the Petisvoci Tight gas project located in north-eastern Slovenia. The company was incorporated in 2004 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

How the Company Makes Money

Ascent Resources Financial Statement Overview

Summary

Financial profile is high risk: revenue fell to zero in 2024, losses and negative EBITDA persist, equity is negative (2022–2024), debt increased sharply in 2024, and operating/free cash flow are negative across all years—indicating ongoing cash burn and constrained financial flexibility.

Income Statement

Profitability is weak and deteriorating. Revenue fell to zero in 2024 (annual), after a modest revenue base in 2022–2023, and the company remains consistently loss-making with negative operating profit and negative EBITDA across all periods shown. While the 2022 loss was unusually large versus revenue, 2023–2024 still show sizeable ongoing losses, indicating the business has not reached a stable earning profile.

Balance Sheet

The balance sheet shows elevated financial risk driven by negative equity in 2022–2024, which limits financial flexibility and can constrain access to capital. Total debt rose sharply in 2024 versus 2023, while assets remain relatively small, increasing balance-sheet pressure. A prior period (2020–2021) showed very strong equity, but the subsequent move into negative equity signals a significant deterioration in underlying balance-sheet strength.

Cash Flow

Cash generation is persistently negative: operating cash flow and free cash flow are negative in every year provided, implying continued cash burn and reliance on financing or asset actions to fund operations. Free cash flow declines again in 2024 versus 2023, and cash flow does not demonstrate a clear path toward self-funding operations despite some year-to-year variability.

Breakdown	TTM	Dec 2024	Dec 2023	Dec 2022	Dec 2021	Dec 2020
Income Statement
Total Revenue	77.00K	0.00	1.41M	581.00K	0.00	0.00
Gross Profit	-459.00K	-28.00K	785.00K	-463.00K	-347.00K	-517.00K
EBITDA	-2.78M	-2.52M	-811.00K	-41.32M	-1.61M	-2.40M
Net Income	-2.93M	-2.73M	-851.00K	-41.89M	-1.97M	-2.83M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets	2.21M	2.13M	1.06M	640.00K	40.63M	42.67M
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments	458.00K	111.00K	475.00K	325.00K	97.00K	115.00K
Total Debt	540.00K	780.00K	189.00K	521.00K	541.00K	202.00K
Total Liabilities	2.51M	2.60M	1.44M	2.16M	2.07M	1.68M
Stockholders Equity	-299.00K	-468.00K	-378.00K	-1.52M	38.56M	40.99M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow	-1.58M	-1.44M	-1.35M	-1.24M	-1.48M	-1.38M
Operating Cash Flow	-1.58M	-1.44M	-1.35M	-1.24M	-1.47M	-1.38M
Investing Cash Flow	-419.00K	-797.00K	-1.00K	-1.00K	-3.00K	0.00
Financing Cash Flow	2.33M	1.88M	1.50M	1.44M	1.46M	1.39M

Ascent Resources Peers Comparison

Name	Overall Rating	Market Cap	P/E Ratio	ROE	Dividend Yield	Revenue Growth	EPS Growth
Sector *	65 Neutral	$15.17B	7.61	4.09%	5.20%	3.87%	-62.32%
UJO	58 Neutral	£5.13M	-5.93	-2.88%	―	―	―
UOG	48 Neutral	£5.90M	-2.42	-16.07%	―	―	―
EME	46 Neutral	£5.11M	-1.27	―	―	―	89.39%
AST	43 Neutral	£3.04M	―	―	―	―	―
DELT	41 Neutral	£2.65M	-0.89	-215.74%	―	―	―

Ascent Resources Corporate Events

Ascent Resources Nears Tribunal Ruling in Slovenia Investment Dispute

Ascent Resources has reported progress in its Energy Charter Treaty claim against the Republic of Slovenia, with the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes confirming that the arbitration tribunal has advanced work on its draft award and remains in deliberations. The company continues to expect a decision on the merits of the case toward the end of the first quarter of 2026, a ruling that could carry significant financial and strategic implications for Ascent’s dispute resolution efforts and overall positioning in managing international regulatory and investment risk.

The most recent analyst rating on (GB:AST) stock is a Sell with a £0.38 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Ascent Resources stock, see the GB:AST Stock Forecast page.

Ascent Resources Enters Strategic Agreement to Explore Lithium and Potash in Utah

Ascent Resources Plc, along with its partner American Helium, has entered into an option agreement with Neometals Ltd and Omaha Value to explore and potentially extract lithium and potash from mineral-rich brines in the Paradox Basin, Utah. This agreement represents a strategic move to monetize Ascent’s existing acreage without upfront drilling costs, utilizing existing infrastructure to reduce time and expenses. The deal highlights Ascent’s multi-commodity potential and aims to unlock additional value from its assets with minimal shareholder dilution. The agreement includes a 60-day exclusivity period for due diligence, with financial terms involving fees and royalties based on future brine production.