Shareholders in CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) are in the red if they invested three years ago

If you love investing in stocks you're bound to buy some losers. But long term CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) shareholders have had a particularly rough ride in the last three year. Regrettably, they have had to cope with a 50% drop in the share price over that period. The falls have accelerated recently, with the share price down 16% in the last three months.

It's worthwhile assessing if the company's economics have been moving in lockstep with these underwhelming shareholder returns, or if there is some disparity between the two. So let's do just that.

Check out our latest analysis for CRISPR Therapeutics

CRISPR Therapeutics isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.

Over the last three years, CRISPR Therapeutics' revenue dropped 66% per year. That means its revenue trend is very weak compared to other loss making companies. With no profits and falling revenue it is no surprise that investors have been dumping the stock, pushing the price down by 15% per year over that time. When revenue is dropping, and losses are still costing, and the share price sinking fast, it's fair to ask if something is remiss. After losing money on a declining business with falling stock price, we always consider whether eager bagholders are still offering us a reasonable exit price.

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

CRISPR Therapeutics is a well known stock, with plenty of analyst coverage, suggesting some visibility into future growth. If you are thinking of buying or selling CRISPR Therapeutics stock, you should check out this free report showing analyst consensus estimates for future profits.

A Different Perspective

CRISPR Therapeutics provided a TSR of 22% over the last twelve months. But that was short of the market average. On the bright side, that's still a gain, and it is certainly better than the yearly loss of about 0.6% endured over half a decade. It could well be that the business is stabilizing. 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. For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for CRISPR Therapeutics that you should be aware of before investing here.

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of undervalued small caps 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.