The past three years for Arcutis Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:ARQT) investors has not been profitable
Investing in stocks inevitably means buying into some companies that perform poorly. But long term Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARQT) shareholders have had a particularly rough ride in the last three year. Unfortunately, they have held through a 62% decline in the share price in that time. The more recent news is of little comfort, with the share price down 60% in a year.
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.
Check out our latest analysis for Arcutis Biotherapeutics
Because Arcutis Biotherapeutics made a loss in the last twelve months, we think the market is probably more focussed on revenue and revenue growth, at least for now. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually expect strong revenue growth. As you can imagine, fast revenue growth, when maintained, often leads to fast profit growth.
Over three years, Arcutis Biotherapeutics grew revenue at 158% per year. That's well above most other pre-profit companies. In contrast, the share price is down 18% compound, over three years - disappointing by most standards. This could mean hype has come out of the stock because the losses are concerning investors. 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.
You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).
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 Arcutis Biotherapeutics shares, which cost holders 60%, while the market was up about 6.6%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Shareholders have lost 18% 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. Although Baron Rothschild famously said to "buy when there's blood in the streets, even if the blood is your own", he also focusses on high quality stocks with solid prospects. 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. Even so, be aware that Arcutis Biotherapeutics is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about...
We will like Arcutis Biotherapeutics better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.
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.
