The past five years for Ceconomy (ETR:CEC) investors has not been profitable

Ceconomy AG (ETR:CEC) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 16% in the last month. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last half decade have been disappointing. In that time the share price has delivered a rude shock to holders, who find themselves down 62% after a long stretch. Some might say the recent bounce is to be expected after such a bad drop. But it could be that the fall was overdone.

So let's have a look and see if the longer term performance of the company has been in line with the underlying business' progress.

See our latest analysis for Ceconomy

Ceconomy isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually desire strong revenue growth. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.

In the last half decade, Ceconomy saw its revenue increase by 0.9% per year. That's far from impressive given all the money it is losing. This lacklustre growth has no doubt fueled the loss of 10% per year, in that time. We'd want to see proof that future revenue growth is likely to be significantly stronger before getting too interested in Ceconomy. However, it's possible too many in the market will ignore it, and there may be an opportunity if it starts to recover down the track.

The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

earnings-and-revenue-growth

Take a more thorough look at Ceconomy's financial health with this free report on its balance sheet.

A Different Perspective

Investors in Ceconomy had a tough year, with a total loss of 19%, against a market gain of about 5.4%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 10% per year over five years. Generally speaking long term share price weakness can be a bad sign, though contrarian investors might want to research the stock in hope of a turnaround. You might want to assess this data-rich visualization of its earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Of course Ceconomy may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on German 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.