Yahoo Finance Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) increases 10.0% this week, taking five-year gains to 752%
It hasn't been the best quarter for Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL) shareholders, since the share price has fallen 25% in that time. But that doesn't undermine the fantastic longer term performance (measured over five years). To be precise, the stock price is 752% higher than it was five years ago, a wonderful performance by any measure. Arguably, the recent fall is to be expected after such a strong rise. Of course what matters most is whether the business can improve itself sustainably, thus justifying a higher price. While the long term returns are impressive, we do have some sympathy for those who bought more recently, given the 49% drop, in the last year. Anyone who held for that rewarding ride would probably be keen to talk about it.
The past week has proven to be lucrative for Vericel investors, so let's see if fundamentals drove the company's five-year performance.
View our latest analysis for Vericel
Vericel isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.
In the last 5 years Vericel saw its revenue grow at 21% per year. Even measured against other revenue-focussed companies, that's a good result. Fortunately, the market has not missed this, and has pushed the share price up by 53% per year in that time. Despite the strong run, top performers like Vericel have been known to go on winning for decades. On the face of it, this looks lke a good opportunity, although we note sentiment seems very positive already.
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 15% in the twelve months, Vericel shareholders did even worse, losing 49%. 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. On the bright side, long term shareholders have made money, with a gain of 53% per year over half a decade. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. 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. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for Vericel you should be aware of.
But note: Vericel may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast).
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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