Can You Imagine How Elated Athabasca Oil's (TSE:ATH) Shareholders Feel About Its 426% Share Price Gain?

While stock picking isn't easy, for those willing to persist and learn, it is possible to buy shares in great companies, and generate wonderful returns. When you buy and hold the right company, the returns can make a huge difference to both you and your family. For example, the Athabasca Oil Corporation (TSE:ATH) share price rocketed moonwards 426% in just one year. On top of that, the share price is up 71% in about a quarter. The company reported its financial results recently; you can catch up on the latest numbers by reading our company report. Unfortunately the longer term returns are not so good, with the stock falling 60% in the last three years.

Check out our latest analysis for Athabasca Oil

Given that Athabasca Oil 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. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.

Athabasca Oil actually shrunk its revenue over the last year, with a reduction of 26%. So it's very confusing to see that the share price gained a whopping 426%. It's pretty clear the market isn't basing its valuation on fundamental metrics like revenue. While this gain looks like speculative buying to us, sometimes speculation pays off.

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

earnings-and-revenue-growth

If you are thinking of buying or selling Athabasca Oil stock, you should check out this FREE detailed report on its balance sheet.

A Different Perspective

It's nice to see that Athabasca Oil shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 426% over the last year. That certainly beats the loss of about 8% per year over the last half decade. The long term loss makes us cautious, but the short term TSR gain certainly hints at a brighter future. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Athabasca Oil better, we need to consider many other factors. Take risks, for example - Athabasca Oil has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

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 CA exchanges.

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. 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.