While shareholders of Dynavax Technologies (NASDAQ:DVAX) are in the black over 5 years, those who bought a week ago aren't so fortunate

Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:DVAX) shareholders might be concerned after seeing the share price drop 18% in the last quarter. But at least the stock is up over the last five years. In that time, it is up 77%, which isn't bad, but is below the market return of 83%.

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.

Check out our latest analysis for Dynavax Technologies

Given that Dynavax Technologies 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. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually desire strong revenue growth. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.

In the last 5 years Dynavax Technologies saw its revenue grow at 50% per year. Even measured against other revenue-focussed companies, that's a good result. It's good to see that the stock has 12%, but not entirely surprising given revenue shows strong growth. If you think there could be more growth to come, now might be the time to take a close look at Dynavax Technologies. Of course, you'll have to research the business more fully to figure out if this is an attractive opportunity.

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

If you are thinking of buying or selling Dynavax Technologies stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet.

A Different Perspective

Dynavax Technologies shareholders gained a total return of 4.2% during the year. Unfortunately this falls short of the market return. If we look back over five years, the returns are even better, coming in at 12% per year for five years. Maybe the share price is just taking a breather while the business executes on its growth strategy. If you would like to research Dynavax Technologies in more detail then you might want to take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in the company.

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

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.