Shareholders have faith in loss-making InterGroup (NASDAQ:INTG) as stock climbs 10% in past week, taking five-year gain to 81%

It hasn't been the best quarter for The InterGroup Corporation (NASDAQ:INTG) shareholders, since the share price has fallen 11% in that time. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last five years have been respectable. The share price is up 81%, which is better than the market return of 68%.

The past week has proven to be lucrative for InterGroup investors, so let's see if fundamentals drove the company's five-year performance.

See our latest analysis for InterGroup

InterGroup isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually expect strong 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.

In the last 5 years InterGroup saw its revenue shrink by 15% per year. Even though revenue hasn't increased, the stock actually gained 13%, per year, during the same period. To us that suggests that there probably isn't a lot of correlation between the past revenue performance and the share price, but a closer look at analyst forecasts and the bottom line may well explain a lot.

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

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

A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 10% in the twelve months, InterGroup shareholders did even worse, losing 12%. Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. On the bright side, long term shareholders have made money, with a gain of 13% 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. 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. Even so, be aware that InterGroup is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 2 of those make us uncomfortable...

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

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.