Even after rising 21% this past week, Aterian (NASDAQ:ATER) shareholders are still down 67% over the past year
This week we saw the Aterian, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATER) share price climb by 21%. But that isn't much consolation to those who have suffered through the declines of the last year. Specifically, the stock price slipped by 67% in that time. So the bounce should be viewed in that context. Of course, it could be that the fall was overdone.
While the stock has risen 21% in the past week but long term shareholders are still in the red, let's see what the fundamentals can tell us.
View our latest analysis for Aterian
Aterian isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally expect to see good revenue growth. As you can imagine, fast revenue growth, when maintained, often leads to fast profit growth.
In the last twelve months, Aterian increased its revenue by 16%. That's definitely a respectable growth rate. Unfortunately it seems investors wanted more, because the share price is down 67% in that time. It is of course possible that the business will still deliver strong growth, it will just take longer than expected to do it. For us it's important to consider when you think a company will become profitable, if you're basing your valuation on revenue.
The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).
Balance sheet strength is crucial. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on how its financial position has changed over time.
A Different Perspective
The last twelve months weren't great for Aterian shares, which performed worse than the market, costing holders 67%. The market shed around 12%, no doubt weighing on the stock price. Shareholders have lost 17% per year over the last three years, so the share price drop has become steeper, over the last year; a potential symptom of as yet unsolved challenges. We would be wary of buying into a company with unsolved problems, although some investors will buy into struggling stocks if they believe the price is sufficiently attractive. 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. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 5 warning signs for Aterian (of which 1 is significant!) you should know about.
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will 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.
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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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