Did Business Growth Power BlackLine's (NASDAQ:BL) Share Price Gain of 163%?
The worst result, after buying shares in a company (assuming no leverage), would be if you lose all the money you put in. But when you pick a company that is really flourishing, you can make more than 100%. To wit, the BlackLine, Inc. (NASDAQ:BL) share price has flown 163% in the last three years. That sort of return is as solid as granite. It's down 5.0% in the last seven days.
See our latest analysis for BlackLine
BlackLine wasn't profitable in the last twelve months, it is unlikely we'll see a strong correlation between its share price and its earnings per share (EPS). Arguably revenue is our next best option. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally expect to see good revenue growth. That's because it's hard to be confident a company will be sustainable if revenue growth is negligible, and it never makes a profit.
BlackLine's revenue trended up 25% each year over three years. That's well above most pre-profit companies. Meanwhile, the share price performance has been pretty solid at 38% compound over three years. But it does seem like the market is paying attention to strong revenue growth. Nonetheless, we'd say BlackLine is still worth investigating - successful businesses can often keep growing for long periods.
The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).
BlackLine is a well known stock, with plenty of analyst coverage, suggesting some visibility into future growth. So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts
A Different Perspective
We're pleased to report that BlackLine rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 97% over the last year. That gain actually surpasses the 38% TSR it generated (per year) over three years. The improving returns to shareholders suggests the stock is becoming more popular with time. 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 instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for BlackLine that you should be aware of.
If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can grow earnings.
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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