Brighthouse Financial (NASDAQ:BHF) climbs 3.5% this week, taking three-year gains to 82%

Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:BHF) shareholders have seen the share price descend 25% over the month. But we wouldn't complain about the gain over the last three years. It beat the market return of 75% in that time, gaining 82%.

Since the stock has added US$102m to its market cap in the past week alone, let's see if underlying performance has been driving long-term returns.

See our latest analysis for Brighthouse Financial

Given that Brighthouse Financial didn't make a profit in the last twelve months, we'll focus on revenue growth to form a quick view of its business development. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.

In the last 3 years Brighthouse Financial saw its revenue shrink by 3.1% per year. Despite the lack of revenue growth, the stock has returned 22%, compound, over three years. If the company is cutting costs profitability could be on the horizon, but the revenue decline is a prima facie concern.

You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

earnings-and-revenue-growth

Take a more thorough look at Brighthouse Financial's financial health with this free report on its balance sheet.

A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 10% in the twelve months, Brighthouse Financial shareholders did even worse, losing 13%. However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 2% per year over five years. Generally speaking long term share price weakness can be a bad sign, though contrarian investors might want to research the stock in hope of a turnaround. You might want to assess this data-rich visualization of its earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Of course Brighthouse Financial may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on American exchanges.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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