These days it’s easy to simply buy an index fund, and your returns should (roughly) match the market. But you can significantly boost your returns by picking above-average stocks. To wit, the Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE:KODK) share price is 86% higher than it was a year ago, much better than the market return of around 29% (not including dividends) in the same period. If it can keep that out-performance up over the long term, investors will do very well! In contrast, the longer term returns are negative, since the share price is 71% lower than it was three years ago.
Check out our latest analysis for Eastman Kodak
Given that Eastman Kodak 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.
Eastman Kodak grew its revenue by 0.9% last year. That’s not a very high growth rate considering it doesn’t make profits. The modest growth is probably largely reflected in the share price, which is up 86%. While not a huge gain tht seems pretty reasonable. Given the market doesn’t seem too excited about the stock, a closer look at the financial data could pay off, if you can find indications of a stronger growth trend in the future.
The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).
It’s good to see that there was some significant insider buying in the last three months. That’s a positive. On the other hand, we think the revenue and earnings trends are much more meaningful measures of the business. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Eastman Kodak’s earnings, revenue and cash flow.
A Different Perspective
It’s nice to see that Eastman Kodak shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 86% over the last year. Notably the five-year annualised TSR loss of 26% per year compares very unfavourably with the recent share price performance. The long term loss makes us cautious, but the short term TSR gain certainly hints at a brighter future. 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. For example, we’ve discovered 1 warning sign for Eastman Kodak which any shareholder or potential investor should be aware of.
There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.
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.
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