Investors in AMA Group (ASX:AMA) have unfortunately lost 85% over the last five years

Some stocks are best avoided. We don't wish catastrophic capital loss on anyone. Spare a thought for those who held AMA Group Limited (ASX:AMA) for five whole years - as the share price tanked 86%. We also note that the stock has performed poorly over the last year, with the share price down 46%. Even worse, it's down 45% in about a month, which isn't fun at all. While a drop like that is definitely a body blow, money isn't as important as health and happiness.

With that in mind, it's worth seeing if the company's underlying fundamentals have been the driver of long term performance, or if there are some discrepancies.

View our latest analysis for AMA Group

AMA Group 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. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally expect to see good revenue growth. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.

In the last half decade, AMA Group saw its revenue increase by 13% per year. That's a fairly respectable growth rate. So the stock price fall of 13% per year seems pretty steep. The market can be a harsh master when your company is losing money and revenue growth disappoints.

The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

It's probably worth noting we've seen significant insider buying in the last quarter, which we consider a positive. That said, we think earnings and revenue growth trends are even more important factors to consider. You can see what analysts are predicting for AMA Group in this interactive graph of future profit estimates.

A Different Perspective

While the broader market gained around 5.7% in the last year, AMA Group shareholders lost 46%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 13% over the last half decade. Generally speaking long term share price weakness can be a bad sign, though contrarian investors might want to research the stock in hope of a turnaround. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Even so, be aware that AMA Group is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 1 of those is a bit unpleasant...

AMA Group is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Australian 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.