Yahoo Finance Despite shrinking by US$301m in the past week, CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) shareholders are still up 165% over 5 years
CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) shareholders might be concerned after seeing the share price drop 25% in the last quarter. But that scarcely detracts from the really solid long term returns generated by the company over five years. It's fair to say most would be happy with 165% the gain in that time. Generally speaking the long term returns will give you a better idea of business quality than short periods can. The more important question is whether the stock is too cheap or too expensive today. Unfortunately not all shareholders will have held it for the long term, so spare a thought for those caught in the 33% decline over the last twelve months.
While this past week has detracted from the company's five-year return, let's look at the recent trends of the underlying business and see if the gains have been in alignment.
See our latest analysis for CRISPR Therapeutics
CRISPR Therapeutics wasn't profitable in the last twelve months, it is unlikely we'll see a strong correlation between its share price and its earnings per share (EPS). Arguably revenue is our next best option. 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.
For the last half decade, CRISPR Therapeutics can boast revenue growth at a rate of 49% per year. That's well above most pre-profit companies. So it's not entirely surprising that the share price reflected this performance by increasing at a rate of 22% per year, in that time. This suggests the market has well and truly recognized the progress the business has made. To our minds that makes CRISPR Therapeutics worth investigating - it may have its best days ahead.
The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).
CRISPR Therapeutics is a well known stock, with plenty of analyst coverage, suggesting some visibility into future growth. So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts
A Different Perspective
While the broader market lost about 18% in the twelve months, CRISPR Therapeutics shareholders did even worse, losing 33%. Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. On the bright side, long term shareholders have made money, with a gain of 22% per year over half a decade. If the fundamental data continues to indicate long term sustainable growth, the current sell-off could be an opportunity worth considering. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand CRISPR Therapeutics better, we need to consider many other factors. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for CRISPR Therapeutics you should be aware of.
But note: CRISPR Therapeutics may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast).
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.
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