On Track Innovations Ltd's (NASDAQ:OTIV) Earnings Dropped -11.00%, Did Its Industry Show Weakness Too?

For investors with a long-term horizon, examining earnings trend over time and against industry peers is more insightful than looking at an earnings announcement in one point in time. Investors may find my commentary, albeit very high-level and brief, on On Track Innovations Ltd (NASDAQ:OTIV) useful as an attempt to give more color around how On Track Innovations is currently performing. Check out our latest analysis for On Track Innovations

Was OTIV weak performance lately part of a long-term decline?

I like to use the ‘latest twelve-month’ data, which annualizes the most recent half-year data, or in some cases, the latest annual report is already the most recent financial year data. This blend enables me to examine many different companies on a similar basis, using the most relevant data points. For On Track Innovations, its most recent earnings (trailing twelve month) is -US$2.46M, which, relative to the previous year's figure, has become more negative. Since these values may be fairly nearsighted, I have determined an annualized five-year figure for On Track Innovations's earnings, which stands at -US$8.10M. This suggests that, though net income is negative, it has become less negative over the years.

We can further evaluate On Track Innovations's loss by looking at what the industry has been experiencing over the past few years. Each year, for the past five years On Track Innovations has seen an annual decline in revenue of -15.14%, on average. This adverse movement is a driver of the company's inability to reach breakeven. Has the entire industry experienced this headwind? Inspecting growth from a sector-level, the US tech industry has been enduring some headwinds over the past twelve months, leading to an average earnings drop of -2.89%. This is a momentous change, given that the industry has constantly been delivering a a notable growth of 11.66% in the past five years. This suggests that any near-term headwind the industry is facing, it’s hitting On Track Innovations harder than its peers.

What does this mean?

Though On Track Innovations's past data is helpful, it is only one aspect of my investment thesis. Companies that incur net loss is always hard to predict what will happen in the future and when. The most insightful step is to examine company-specific issues On Track Innovations may be facing and whether management guidance has regularly been met in the past. I recommend you continue to research On Track Innovations to get a better picture of the stock by looking at:

• 1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for OTIV’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for OTIV’s outlook.
• 2. Financial Health: Is OTIV’s operations financially sustainable? Balance sheets can be hard to analyze, which is why we’ve done it for you. Check out our financial health checks here.
• 3. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the trailing twelve months from 30 September 2017. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

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Simply Wall St analyst Simply Wall St and Simply Wall St have no position in any of the companies mentioned. This article 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.