While not a mind-blowing move, it is good to see that the Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft (ETR:HDD) share price has gained 10% in the last three months. But only the myopic could ignore the astounding decline over three years. The share price has sunk like a leaky ship, down 78% in that time. So it sure is nice to see a bit of an improvement. The thing to think about is whether the business has really turned around.
See our latest analysis for Heidelberger Druckmaschinen
Because Heidelberger Druckmaschinen 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 fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.
In the last three years Heidelberger Druckmaschinen saw its revenue shrink by 2.8% per year. That's not what investors generally want to see. Having said that the 21% annualized share price decline highlights the risk of investing in unprofitable companies. We're generally averse to companies with declining revenues, but we're not alone in that. Don't let a share price decline ruin your calm. You make better decisions when you're calm.
You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).
Take a more thorough look at Heidelberger Druckmaschinen's financial health with this free report on its balance sheet.
A Different Perspective
While the broader market gained around 13% in the last year, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen shareholders lost 33%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 11% per year over five years. 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. You might want to assess this data-rich visualization of its earnings, revenue and cash flow.
If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on DE exchanges.
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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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