Shareholders in CareMax (NASDAQ:CMAX) have lost 30%, as stock drops 19% this past week

The simplest way to benefit from a rising market is to buy an index fund. But if you buy individual stocks, you can do both better or worse than that. Investors in CareMax, Inc. (NASDAQ:CMAX) have tasted that bitter downside in the last year, as the share price dropped 30%. That contrasts poorly with the market return of 28%. Because CareMax hasn't been listed for many years, the market is still learning about how the business performs. And the share price decline continued over the last week, dropping some 19%.

Since CareMax has shed US$146m from its value in the past 7 days, let's see if the longer term decline has been driven by the business' economics.

Check out our latest analysis for CareMax

Given that CareMax didn't make a profit in the last twelve months, we'll focus on revenue growth to form a quick view of its business development. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally expect to see good revenue growth. As you can imagine, fast revenue growth, when maintained, often leads to fast profit growth.

CareMax grew its revenue by 121% over the last year. That's a strong result which is better than most other loss making companies. The share price drop of 30% over twelve months would be considered disappointing by many, so you might argue the company is getting little credit for its impressive revenue growth. On the bright side, if this company is moving profits in the right direction, top-line growth like that could be an opportunity. Our monkey brains haven't evolved to think exponentially, so humans do tend to underestimate companies that have exponential growth.

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

This free interactive report on CareMax's balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

A Different Perspective

Given that the market gained 28% in the last year, CareMax shareholders might be miffed that they lost 30%. While the aim is to do better than that, it's worth recalling that even great long-term investments sometimes underperform for a year or more. The share price decline has continued throughout the most recent three months, down 3.7%, suggesting an absence of enthusiasm from investors. Basically, most investors should be wary of buying into a poor-performing stock, unless the business itself has clearly improved. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Take risks, for example - CareMax has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings.

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

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.

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