Hudbay Minerals (TSE:HBM) surges 10% this week, taking three-year gains to 46%

Thanks in no small measure to Vanguard founder Jack Bogle, it's easy buy a low cost index fund, which should provide the average market return. But you can make better returns by buying undervalued shares. Notably, the Hudbay Minerals Inc. (TSE:HBM) share price has gained 44% in three years, which is better than the average market return. Zooming in, the stock is up a respectable 7.0% in the last year.

Since the stock has added US$230m 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 Hudbay Minerals

Because Hudbay Minerals 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.

In the last 3 years Hudbay Minerals saw its revenue shrink by 6.1% per year. The revenue growth might be lacking but the share price has gained 13% each year in that time. Unless the company is going to make profits soon, we would be pretty cautious about it.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

earnings-and-revenue-growth

We consider it positive that insiders have made significant purchases in the last year. Even so, future earnings will be far more important to whether current shareholders make money. So it makes a lot of sense to check out what analysts think Hudbay Minerals will earn in the future (free profit forecasts).

A Different Perspective

Hudbay Minerals shareholders are up 7.3% for the year (even including dividends). Unfortunately this falls short of the market return. On the bright side, that's still a gain, and it's actually better than the average return of 4% over half a decade It is possible that returns will improve along with the business fundamentals. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Hudbay Minerals better, we need to consider many other factors. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Hudbay Minerals that you should be aware of before investing here.

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 CA 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.