These days it's easy to simply buy an index fund, and your returns should (roughly) match the market. But if you pick the right individual stocks, you could make more than that. To wit, the Ermenegildo Zegna N.V. (NYSE:ZGN) share price is 17% higher than it was a year ago, much better than the market decline of around 18% (not including dividends) in the same period. If it can keep that out-performance up over the long term, investors will do very well! Note that businesses generally develop over the long term, so the returns over the last year might not reflect a long term trend.

On the back of a solid 7-day performance, let's check what role the company's fundamentals have played in driving long term shareholder returns.

View our latest analysis for Ermenegildo Zegna

Because Ermenegildo Zegna 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. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally expect to see good revenue growth. 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 year Ermenegildo Zegna saw its revenue grow by 28%. We respect that sort of growth, no doubt. While the share price performed well, gaining 17% over twelve months, you could argue the revenue growth warranted it. If the company can maintain the revenue growth, the share price could go higher still. But it's crucial to check profitability and cash flow before forming a view on the future.

You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic.

A Different Perspective

It's nice to see that Ermenegildo Zegna shareholders have gained 17% over the last year, including dividends. And the share price momentum remains respectable, with a gain of 8.8% in the last three months. This suggests the company is continuing to win over new investors. You could get a better understanding of Ermenegildo Zegna's growth by checking out this more detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

But note: Ermenegildo Zegna 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.