Retrophin Shareholders Booked A 55% Gain In The Last Three Years

One simple way to benefit from the stock market is to buy an index fund. But if you choose individual stocks with prowess, you can make superior returns. Just take a look at Retrophin, Inc. (NASDAQ:RTRX), which is up 55%, over three years, soundly beating the market return of 41% (not including dividends).

Check out our latest analysis for Retrophin

Given that Retrophin 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 expect strong revenue growth. Some companies are willing to postpone profitability to grow revenue faster, but in that case one does expect good top-line growth.

Retrophin's revenue trended up 15% each year over three years. That's pretty nice growth. While the share price has done well, compounding at 16% yearly, over three years, that move doesn't seem over the top. Of course, valuation is quite sensitive to the rate of growth. Of course, it's always worth considering funding risks when a company isn't profitable.

The chart below shows how revenue and earnings have changed with time, (if you click on the chart you can see the actual values).

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

A Different Perspective

Retrophin shareholders are down 9.1% for the year, but the market itself is up 6.0%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 3.8%, each year, over five years. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. Most investors take the time to check the data on insider transactions. You can click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling.

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

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.