The past year for Westport Fuel Systems (TSE:WPRT) investors has not been profitable
It's not a secret that every investor will make bad investments, from time to time. But it would be foolish to simply accept every extremely large loss as an inevitable part of the game. It must have been painful to be a Westport Fuel Systems Inc. (TSE:WPRT) shareholder over the last year, since the stock price plummeted 78% in that time. While some investors are willing to stomach this sort of loss, they are usually professionals who spread their bets thinly. Even if you look out three years, the returns are still disappointing, with the share price down59% in that time. Furthermore, it's down 29% in about a quarter. That's not much fun for holders. But this could be related to the weak market, which is down 13% in the same period.
So let's have a look and see if the longer term performance of the company has been in line with the underlying business' progress.
See our latest analysis for Westport Fuel Systems
In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.
Even though the Westport Fuel Systems share price is down over the year, its EPS actually improved. It's quite possible that growth expectations may have been unreasonable in the past.
It's fair to say that the share price does not seem to be reflecting the EPS growth. But we might find some different metrics explain the share price movements better.
Westport Fuel Systems managed to grow revenue over the last year, which is usually a real positive. Since we can't easily explain the share price movement based on these metrics, it might be worth considering how market sentiment has changed towards the stock.
You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).
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 Westport Fuel Systems will earn in the future (free profit forecasts).
A Different Perspective
We regret to report that Westport Fuel Systems shareholders are down 78% for the year. Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 1.5%. 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 9% 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. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Westport Fuel Systems better, we need to consider many other factors. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Westport Fuel Systems (of which 1 is potentially serious!) you should know about.
Westport Fuel Systems is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on CA exchanges.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.
