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It's a weird misconception people have that "stock price=accurate statement of well-being/profitability" because all a stock is worth after people buy the stock via the IPO is towards some small share of the company, the voting rights that may/may not go along with it (depending on the details of the stock) and possibly, if the company desires, the dividends handed out of the quarterly or yearly profits.

Having looked briefly at Red Hat's latest financial filings, I would very much like to have my personal financial picture "die" so horribly, regardless of what the outside world otherwise thinks of my future prospects. All a stock price is, once you remove the meaning as stated above as it relates to reality, is a measure of faith of what people believe it's actually worth. Where this could actually become a problem is if you're a profitable business that people don't put a high enough value on the stock, and then outsiders that are wise enough to realize what they're looking at say, "Oh, goody! Pure profit!" and buy out the company, and usually changing how things are done, often to the detriment of the newly-acquired company. Beyond that sort of worry, a stock price means almost nothing.

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