Investors in REGENXBIO (NASDAQ:RGNX) from five years ago are still down 84%, even after 11% gain this past week

REGENXBIO Inc. (NASDAQ:RGNX) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 11% in the last week. But will that heal all the wounds inflicted over 5 years of declines? Unlikely. Indeed, the share price is down a whopping 84% in that time. It's true that the recent bounce could signal the company is turning over a new leaf, but we are not so sure. The important question is if the business itself justifies a higher share price in the long term. While a drop like that is definitely a body blow, money isn't as important as health and happiness.

While the stock has risen 11% in the past week but long term shareholders are still in the red, let's see what the fundamentals can tell us.

See our latest analysis for REGENXBIO

Given that REGENXBIO 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. 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 half decade, REGENXBIO saw its revenue increase by 3.2% per year. That's far from impressive given all the money it is losing. It's not so sure that share price crash of 13% per year is completely deserved, but the market is doubtless disappointed. We'd be pretty cautious about this one, although the sell-off may be too severe. A company like this generally needs to produce profits before it can find favour with new investors.

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

REGENXBIO is well known by investors, and plenty of clever analysts have tried to predict the future profit levels. You can see what analysts are predicting for REGENXBIO in this interactive graph of future profit estimates.

A Different Perspective

Investors in REGENXBIO had a tough year, with a total loss of 35%, against a market gain of about 24%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 13% over the last half decade. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand REGENXBIO better, we need to consider many other factors. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for REGENXBIO you should be aware of.

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.

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.