Introducing Elmo Software (ASX:ELO), A Stock That Climbed 20% In The Last Year

There's no doubt that investing in the stock market is a truly brilliant way to build wealth. But not every stock you buy will perform as well as the overall market. Over the last year the Elmo Software Limited (ASX:ELO) share price is up 20%, but that's less than the broader market return. Note that businesses generally develop over the long term, so the returns over the last year might not reflect a long term trend.

View 2 warning signs we detected for Elmo Software

Because Elmo Software 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. 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, Elmo Software's revenue grew by 51%. That's stonking growth even when compared to other loss-making stocks. To be blunt the 20% is underwhelming given the strong revenue growth. When revenue spikes but the share price doesn't we can't help wondering if the market is missing something. It could be that the stock was previously over-hyped, or that losses are causing concern for the market, but this could be an opportunity.

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

You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic.

A Different Perspective

Elmo Software shareholders have gained 20% for the year. The bad news is that's no better than the average market return, which was roughly 29%. That's a lot better than the more recent three month gain of 0.7%, implying that share price has plateaued recently, for now. It's not uncommon to see a company's share price between updates to shareholders. 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 Elmo Software which any shareholder or potential investor should be aware of.

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

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