OneSpan (NASDAQ:OSPN shareholders incur further losses as stock declines 7.5% this week, taking one-year losses to 34%

Investors can approximate the average market return by buying an index fund. Active investors aim to buy stocks that vastly outperform the market - but in the process, they risk under-performance. Unfortunately the OneSpan Inc. (NASDAQ:OSPN) share price slid 34% over twelve months. That falls noticeably short of the market return of around 12%. On the other hand, the stock is actually up 17% over three years. Furthermore, it's down 22% in about a quarter. That's not much fun for holders.

With the stock having lost 7.5% in the past week, it's worth taking a look at business performance and seeing if there's any red flags.

View our latest analysis for OneSpan

OneSpan 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.

OneSpan's revenue didn't grow at all in the last year. In fact, it fell 11%. That looks pretty grim, at a glance. The stock price has languished lately, falling 34% in a year. That seems pretty reasonable given the lack of both profits and revenue growth. We think most holders must believe revenue growth will improve, or else costs will decline.

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

We consider it positive that insiders have made significant purchases in the last year. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. If you are thinking of buying or selling OneSpan stock, you should check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

A Different Perspective

While the broader market gained around 12% in the last year, OneSpan shareholders lost 34%. 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 0.9%, 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. 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. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for OneSpan you should be aware of.

OneSpan is not the only stock that insiders are buying. 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 US 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.