EKI Energy Services: One Billion Carbon Credits

Within nine months from the time of its Initial Public Offering (IPO) in April of 2021, EKI Energy Services (EKI) shares had increased by more than 8,000%. Equally explosive was the growth of the company’s revenues and Earnings Before Interest, Taxes and Depreciation (EBITDA), which rose in 2022 by almost ten and twenty times respectively. However, in 2022, several commentators started doubting the credibility of the carbon credits that firms, such as EKI, purchased or developed and sold to customers worldwide. Given that most of EKI’s revenues relied on these credits, the company focused on its ongoing efforts to diversify the types of carbon credits that it developed and sold, while defending the validity of its existing carbon credit inventory. On April 25, 2022, EKI announced its intention to supply one billion carbon credits to clients within the next five years. In the next few months, EKI’s stock price declined significantly from the highs of early 2022 but still traded close to 4,000% higher than its IPO price. Was this a reasonable price to pay for EKI’s assets and future profitability? How sustainable were the earnings of the company and its stock market valuation in the fast-changing carbon credit market? Did the recent decline in EKI’s stock price represent a buying opportunity, given its growth ambition?