Even though Adaptive Biotechnologies (NASDAQ:ADPT) has lost US$147m market cap in last 7 days, shareholders are still up 147% over 1 year

The Adaptive Biotechnologies Corporation (NASDAQ:ADPT) share price has had a bad week, falling 11%. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last year have been very strong. We're very pleased to report the share price shot up 147% in that time. So some might not be surprised to see the price retrace some. Investors should be wondering whether the business itself has the fundamental value required to continue to drive gains.

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

Adaptive Biotechnologies 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. 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 year Adaptive Biotechnologies saw its revenue grow by 5.1%. That's not great considering the company is losing money. So we wouldn't have expected the share price to rise by 147%. We're happy that investors have made money, though we wonder if the increase will be sustained. We're not so sure that revenue growth is driving the market optimism about the stock.

The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

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

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that Adaptive Biotechnologies shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 147% over one year. Notably the five-year annualised TSR loss of 12% per year compares very unfavourably with the recent share price performance. We generally put more weight on the long term performance over the short term, but the recent improvement could hint at a (positive) inflection point within the business. 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 - Adaptive Biotechnologies has 3 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

We will like Adaptive Biotechnologies better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of undervalued stocks (mostly small caps) with considerable, recent, insider 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.