Yahoo Finance Alector (NASDAQ:ALEC) investors are sitting on a loss of 65% if they invested a year ago
Investing in stocks comes with the risk that the share price will fall. Unfortunately, shareholders of Alector, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALEC) have suffered share price declines over the last year. In that relatively short period, the share price has plunged 65%. To make matters worse, the returns over three years have also been really disappointing (the share price is 52% lower than three years ago). Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 34% in the last 90 days.
Now let's have a look at the company's fundamentals, and see if the long term shareholder return has matched the performance of the underlying business.
View our latest analysis for Alector
To quote Buffett, 'Ships will sail around the world but the Flat Earth Society will flourish. There will continue to be wide discrepancies between price and value in the marketplace...' By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.
During the last year Alector grew its earnings per share, moving from a loss to a profit.
The result looks like a strong improvement to us, so we're surprised the market has sold down the shares. If the company can sustain the earnings growth, this might be an inflection point for the business, which would make right now a really interesting time to study it more closely.
The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).
It is of course excellent to see how Alector has grown profits over the years, but the future is more important for shareholders. This free interactive report on Alector's balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.
A Different Perspective
Alector shareholders are down 65% for the year, falling short of the market return. Meanwhile, the broader market slid about 25%, likely weighing on the stock. The three-year loss of 15% per year isn't as bad as the last twelve months, suggesting that the company has not been able to convince the market it has solved its problems. We would be wary of buying into a company with unsolved problems, although some investors will buy into struggling stocks if they believe the price is sufficiently attractive. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Alector better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Alector (at least 1 which is a bit concerning) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.
If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).
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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