Reflecting on Catalyst Biosciences' (NASDAQ:CBIO) Share Price Returns Over The Last Five Years
Long term investing works well, but it doesn't always work for each individual stock. We really hate to see fellow investors lose their hard-earned money. For example, we sympathize with anyone who was caught holding Catalyst Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBIO) during the five years that saw its share price drop a whopping 78%. And it's not just long term holders hurting, because the stock is down 27% in the last year.
Check out our latest analysis for Catalyst Biosciences
Given that Catalyst Biosciences didn't make a profit in the last twelve months, we'll focus on revenue growth to form a quick view of its business development. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. Some companies are willing to postpone profitability to grow revenue faster, but in that case one does expect good top-line growth.
In the last half decade, Catalyst Biosciences saw its revenue increase by 75% per year. That's better than most loss-making companies. So on the face of it we're really surprised to see the share price has averaged a fall of 12% each year, in the same time period. You'd have to assume the market is worried that profits won't come soon enough. While there might be an opportunity here, you'd want to take a close look at the balance sheet strength.
The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).
This free interactive report on Catalyst Biosciences' balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.
A Different Perspective
Catalyst Biosciences shareholders are down 27% for the year, but the market itself is up 38%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 12% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. 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 2 warning signs for Catalyst Biosciences that you should be aware of before investing here.
For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.
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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