Compumedics (ASX:CMP) shareholder returns have been decent, earning 93% in 3 years

By buying an index fund, you can roughly match the market return with ease. But many of us dare to dream of bigger returns, and build a portfolio ourselves. For example, the Compumedics Limited (ASX:CMP) share price is up 93% in the last three years, clearly besting the market return of around 18% (not including dividends). On the other hand, the returns haven't been quite so good recently, with shareholders up just 45%.

After a strong gain in the past week, it's worth seeing if longer term returns have been driven by improving fundamentals.

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Compumedics isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally hope to see good revenue growth. 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 three years Compumedics has grown its revenue at 8.9% annually. That's pretty nice growth. While the share price has done well, compounding at 24% yearly, over three years, that move doesn't seem over the top. If that's the case, then it could be well worth while to research the growth trajectory. Keep in mind that the strength of the balance sheet impacts the options open to the company.

The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

It's probably worth noting that the CEO is paid less than the median at similar sized companies. It's always worth keeping an eye on CEO pay, but a more important question is whether the company will grow earnings throughout the years. This free report showing analyst forecasts should help you form a view on Compumedics

A Different Perspective

It's good to see that Compumedics has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 45% in the last twelve months. That certainly beats the loss of about 4% per year over the last half decade. This makes us a little wary, but the business might have turned around its fortunes. 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. Take risks, for example - Compumedics has 2 warning signs (and 1 which shouldn't be ignored) we think you should know about.

If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: many of them are unnoticed AND have attractive valuation).

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.