Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS) investors are sitting on a loss of 60% if they invested three years ago
It is doubtless a positive to see that the Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) share price has gained some 37% in the last three months. But that is small recompense for the exasperating returns over three years. Tragically, the share price declined 60% in that time. Some might say the recent bounce is to be expected after such a bad drop. Perhaps the company has turned over a new leaf.
It's worthwhile assessing if the company's economics have been moving in lockstep with these underwhelming shareholder returns, or if there is some disparity between the two. So let's do just that.
See our latest analysis for Cerus
Cerus isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. As you can imagine, fast revenue growth, when maintained, often leads to fast profit growth.
In the last three years, Cerus saw its revenue grow by 27% per year, compound. That's well above most other pre-profit companies. In contrast, the share price is down 17% compound, over three years - disappointing by most standards. It seems likely that the market is worried about the continual losses. When we see revenue growth, paired with a falling share price, we can't help wonder if there is an opportunity for those who are willing to dig deeper.
The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).
This free interactive report on Cerus' balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.
A Different Perspective
While the broader market gained around 12% in the last year, Cerus shareholders lost 47%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 10% 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. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For example, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Cerus that you should be aware of before investing here.
But note: Cerus may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast).
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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