If You Had Bought Seeing Machines (LON:SEE) Stock Five Years Ago, You'd Be Sitting On A 54% Loss, Today

We think intelligent long term investing is the way to go. But along the way some stocks are going to perform badly. Zooming in on an example, the Seeing Machines Limited (LON:SEE) share price dropped 54% in the last half decade. That's an unpleasant experience for long term holders. We also note that the stock has performed poorly over the last year, with the share price down 33%. Unfortunately the share price momentum is still quite negative, with prices down 37% in thirty days. This could be related to the recent financial results - you can catch up on the most recent data by reading our company report.

See our latest analysis for Seeing Machines

Seeing Machines isn't a profitable company, so 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. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. As you can imagine, fast revenue growth, when maintained, often leads to fast profit growth.

Over five years, Seeing Machines grew its revenue at 13% per year. That's a fairly respectable growth rate. The share price return isn't so respectable with an annual loss of 15% over the period. That suggests the market is disappointed with the current growth rate. That could lead to an opportunity if the company is going to become profitable sooner rather than later.

The graphic below shows how revenue and earnings have changed as management guided the business forward. If you want to see cashflow, you can click on the chart.

If you are thinking of buying or selling Seeing Machines stock, you should check out this FREEdetailed report on its balance sheet.

A Different Perspective

Seeing Machines shareholders are down 33% for the year, but the market itself is up 6.2%. 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 15% over the last half decade. We realise that Buffett has said investors should 'buy when there is blood on the streets', but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality businesses. You could get a better understanding of Seeing Machines's growth by checking out this more detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this freelist of companies that have proven they can grow earnings.

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.

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. Thank you for reading.