Investors Who Bought IT Tech Packaging (NYSEMKT:ITP) Shares A Year Ago Are Now Up 47%

Passive investing in index funds can generate returns that roughly match the overall market. But you can significantly boost your returns by picking above-average stocks. To wit, the IT Tech Packaging, Inc. (NYSEMKT:ITP) share price is 47% higher than it was a year ago, much better than the market return of around 28% (not including dividends) in the same period. If it can keep that out-performance up over the long term, investors will do very well! In contrast, the longer term returns are negative, since the share price is 18% lower than it was three years ago.

View 4 warning signs we detected for IT Tech Packaging

Given that IT Tech Packaging 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. 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.

Over the last twelve months, IT Tech Packaging's revenue grew by 12%. That's not a very high growth rate considering it doesn't make profits. The modest growth is probably largely reflected in the share price, which is up 47%. While not a huge gain tht seems pretty reasonable. It could be worth keeping an eye on this one, especially if growth accelerates.

You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

Fundamentally, investors are buying a company's future earnings, but the stability of the business can influence the price they're willing to pay. For example, we've discovered 4 warning signs for IT Tech Packaging (of which 1 is major) which any shareholder or potential investor should be aware of.

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that IT Tech Packaging shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 47% over one year. There's no doubt those recent returns are much better than the TSR loss of 3.1% per year over five years. We generally put more weight on the long term performance over the short term, but the recent improvement could hint at a (positive) inflection point within the business. Before spending more time on IT Tech Packaging it might be wise to click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling shares.

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.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.