Even though Byrna Technologies (NASDAQ:BYRN) has lost US$15m market cap in last 7 days, shareholders are still up 307% over 5 years

Byrna Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:BYRN) shareholders might be concerned after seeing the share price drop 11% in the last week. But that does not change the realty that the stock's performance has been terrific, over five years. To be precise, the stock price is 307% higher than it was five years ago, a wonderful performance by any measure. So we don't think the recent decline in the share price means its story is a sad one. The most important thing for savvy investors to consider is whether the underlying business can justify the share price gain. Unfortunately not all shareholders will have held it for the long term, so spare a thought for those caught in the 42% decline over the last twelve months.

While this past week has detracted from the company's five-year return, let's look at the recent trends of the underlying business and see if the gains have been in alignment.

See our latest analysis for Byrna Technologies

Byrna Technologies 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. 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.

For the last half decade, Byrna Technologies can boast revenue growth at a rate of 54% per year. That's well above most pre-profit companies. Fortunately, the market has not missed this, and has pushed the share price up by 32% per year in that time. Despite the strong run, top performers like Byrna Technologies have been known to go on winning for decades. So we'd recommend you take a closer look at this one, but keep in mind the market seems optimistic.

You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

It's good to see that there was some significant insider buying in the last three months. That's a positive. That said, we think earnings and revenue growth trends are even more important factors to consider. This free report showing analyst forecasts should help you form a view on Byrna Technologies

A Different Perspective

While the broader market gained around 20% in the last year, Byrna Technologies shareholders lost 42%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. On the bright side, long term shareholders have made money, with a gain of 32% per year over half a decade. If the fundamental data continues to indicate long term sustainable growth, the current sell-off could be an opportunity worth considering. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Byrna Technologies better, we need to consider many other factors. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Byrna Technologies you should be aware of.

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do 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 American 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.