Passive investing in an index fund is a good way to ensure your own returns roughly match the overall market. When you buy individual stocks, you can make higher profits, but you also face the risk of under-performance. Unfortunately the HOOKIPA Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ:HOOK) share price slid 43% over twelve months. That contrasts poorly with the market decline of 0.8%. HOOKIPA Pharma hasn’t been listed for long, so although we’re wary of recent listings that perform poorly, it may still prove itself with time. Furthermore, it’s down 28% in about a quarter. That’s not much fun for holders. But this could be related to the weak market, which is down 15% in the same period.
View our latest analysis for HOOKIPA Pharma
Given that HOOKIPA Pharma didn’t make a profit in the last twelve months, we’ll focus on revenue growth to form a quick view of its business development. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. That’s because it’s hard to be confident a company will be sustainable if revenue growth is negligible, and it never makes a profit.
In the last twelve months, HOOKIPA Pharma increased its revenue by 57%. That’s a strong result which is better than most other loss making companies. The share price drop of 43% over twelve months would be considered disappointing by many, so you might argue the company is getting little credit for its impressive revenue growth. On the bright side, if this company is moving profits in the right direction, top-line growth like that could be an opportunity. Our monkey brains haven’t evolved to think exponentially, so humans do tend to underestimate companies that have exponential growth.
The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).
NasdaqGS:HOOK Income Statement April 19th 2020
We’re pleased to report that the CEO is remunerated more modestly than most CEOs at similarly capitalized companies. It’s always worth keeping an eye on CEO pay, but a more important question is whether the company will grow earnings throughout the years. So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts
A Different Perspective
We doubt HOOKIPA Pharma shareholders are happy with the loss of 43% over twelve months. That falls short of the market, which lost 0.8%. There’s no doubt that’s a disappointment, but the stock may well have fared better in a stronger market. The share price decline has continued throughout the most recent three months, down 28%, suggesting an absence of enthusiasm from investors. Basically, most investors should be wary of buying into a poor-performing stock, unless the business itself has clearly improved. 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. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we’ve spotted 4 warning signs for HOOKIPA Pharma (of which 2 are significant!) you should know about.
But note: HOOKIPA Pharma 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.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.
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