Yahoo Finance Altimmune (NASDAQ:ALT) surges 19% this week, taking three-year gains to 111%
The last three months have been tough on Altimmune, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALT) shareholders, who have seen the share price decline a rather worrying 33%. But that doesn't undermine the rather lovely longer-term return, if you measure over the last three years. In fact, the share price is up a full 111% compared to three years ago. So the recent fall in the share price should be viewed in that context. If the business can perform well for years to come, then the recent drop could be an opportunity.
Since the stock has added US$36m to its market cap in the past week alone, let's see if underlying performance has been driving long-term returns.
Check out our latest analysis for Altimmune
Because Altimmune made a loss in the last twelve months, we think the market is probably more focussed on revenue and revenue growth, at least for now. Shareholders of unprofitable companies usually expect strong revenue growth. As you can imagine, fast revenue growth, when maintained, often leads to fast profit growth.
Altimmune actually saw its revenue drop by 27% per year over three years. So the share price gain of 28% per year is quite surprising. It's fair to say shareholders are definitely counting on a bright future.
The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).
Balance sheet strength is crucial. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on how its financial position has changed over time.
A Different Perspective
While the broader market lost about 9.0% in the twelve months, Altimmune shareholders did even worse, losing 61%. 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. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 14% over the last half decade. 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. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For instance, we've identified 5 warning signs for Altimmune (1 can't be ignored) that you should be aware of.
Of course Altimmune 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 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.
