Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (NASDAQ:HMHC) Share Prices Have Dropped 66% In The Last Five Years
It is doubtless a positive to see that the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company (NASDAQ:HMHC) share price has gained some 105% in the last three months. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last half decade have been disappointing. In fact, the share price has declined rather badly, down some 66% in that time. So we're not so sure if the recent bounce should be celebrated. Of course, this could be the start of a turnaround.
See our latest analysis for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 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. 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 five years Houghton Mifflin Harcourt saw its revenue shrink by 2.4% per year. While far from catastrophic that is not good. With neither profit nor revenue growth, the loss of 11% per year doesn't really surprise us. The chance of imminent investor enthusiasm for this stock seems slimmer than Louise Brooks. Not that many investors like to invest in companies that are losing money and not growing revenue.
You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).
It's probably worth noting we've seen significant insider buying in the last quarter, which we consider a positive. On the other hand, we think the revenue and earnings trends are much more meaningful measures of the business. So it makes a lot of sense to check out what analysts think Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will earn in the future (free profit forecasts).
A Different Perspective
Investors in Houghton Mifflin Harcourt had a tough year, with a total loss of 7.8%, against a market gain of about 27%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. However, the loss over the last year isn't as bad as the 11% per annum loss investors have suffered over the last half decade. We'd need to see some sustained improvements in the key metrics before we could muster much enthusiasm. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Houghton Mifflin Harcourt better, we need to consider many other factors. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt you should be aware of.
There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.
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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